The Light and Darkness Inside
by BlackRain11360
Summary: Harley Emerson lives in an abusive household, she doesn't have much, but she does have her baby brother Jem. But when her step-father's eyes turn black and Jem is killed, she's determined to find the thing that killed him, and all she has is a name. Her father's name. Dean Winchester. (There is really no description for the insanity that is this story)
1. The Man With Black Eyes

**Author's Note: Takes place after Sam gets his soul back (Ellen and Jo are alive though), totally AU after that. Enjoy! -Black Rain**

Harley Rose Emerson was bleeding. She could taste it. She was mildly surprised, she didn't think that her father's backhand was that strong, though by his usual standards it was barley a flick; she was lucky. Dave was usually much worse.

She'd gotten used to it.

She stood on the back porch to her family's large ranch house in a small town in the middle of Arizona on a late Sunday morning. The house was an old thing, it had been in the family for generations, it was old and creaky, the paint peeling and the grounds fairly maintained. The only reason it was standing was all thanks to her. She'd been taking care of the house her whole life, among other things.

It was number four out of the four things she loved.

Number three out of the four things she loved was a Harley Davison motorcycle. She had found it in the junk yard, and a good acquaintance of hers let her use his auto shop to rebuild it. She had spent moths working on the bike that shared her name. Now she had to leave her pride and joy at the shop, its glossy black surface hidden away under a tarp, in fear her parents would find it.

A whimper came from her feet, and a large black furry head nuzzled into her hand, the black Great Dane leaned into her and she smiled, a little bit of blood dribbling down her chin. She was never without her loyal companion. Number two out of four things she loved. "Good boy Romeo," she said to it, cradling his large head in her hands; the dog's large brown eyes stared at her. She dropped his large head and opened the back door.

The hinges squeaked loudly as she made her way upstairs, to the bathroom across from her tiny room. She opened the bathroom door, ushering Romeo in before her and shutting it behind her. She stared at her reflection in the cracked mirror, and brushed her long black hair out of her face, clearing the black strands from her green eyes and the corners of her mouth. She had a well structured, slender face, and a strong jaw. She assumed she would be quite pretty if it weren't for her reputation and the hard scowl she unconsciously set on her face daily.

People told her she looked like her mother, but Harley thought they only said that because there were zero similarities between her and her father. Her father was a huge bear of a man, once muscular, but pudgy now in his old age, his blonde hair thinning. Where as her mother was a thin, terrified, wisp of a woman. Her black hair was her only resemblance to her daughter. Harley was well built, all because of her hard labor around the house; she had strong arms and a thin layer of muscle over her body. Unlike her mother, Harley knew how to stand up for herself, had a sharp mind, and packed a good punch. In this small town, she was the one parents warned their kids about, the one who ran with the "wrong crowd," the "wrong crowd" being the homeless, the poor, and the desperate.

Her father, Dave, spent most their family's money drinking and gambling, her mother was useless when it came to work, so Harley had taken to hustling the visitors at the local bar. That was how she acquired her reputation as a thief and ruffian. It suited her just fine. She didn't have friends, just acquaintances.

Harley rinsed her mouth with cold water, watching as it turned pink and spiraled down the drain. She was used to doing this by now, she couldn't remember a time in her fourteen years where her father hadn't beaten her. It was routine by now,_ take care of the house_, _keep the fucking dog out of his face,_ and _get the fuck out of his sight ASAP_. She was very detached about it now; it's just how things worked. Keep your head down and weather the storm, she didn't have much choice. He made her into his servant when she was four.

A soft knock sounded from the other side of the door. "Har? Har, did he hurt you?" the quiet voice whispered from the other side. The hard scowl on Harley's face was replaced with a genuine smile and she opened the bathroom door, allowing James to slip in and stare at her with big brown eyes.

Number one out of four things she loved.

"Of course he didn't baby," Harley reassured him, and honestly she had much worse before. Much, much worse. "He just doesn't want me to make us late for church." She gathered the seven year old in her arms and he peered into her face, trying to tell if his older sister was lying to him. Anything and everything Harley sacrificed she sacrificed for Jem. Their mother was useless. She was here physically for her children but mentally and emotionally, she was gone.

Harley had stepped up when her mother gave up. Harley practically raised Jem, shielding him from their father's fists and their mother's emptiness. She couldn't think of anything she loved more, she would do anything for her baby brother. It had always been that way. When she was younger, her father would get drunk and her mother would get depressed; Jane would shove her newborn son in her young daughter's arms and say, "Take care of James," then she would disappear into her room for days on end.

"He looked mad." Jem's big brown eyes stared into hers fearfully.

"Well let's go downstairs and put Romeo in the shed, we'll wait in the living room so we don't make him madder."Dave had a policy about Romeo being in the house when they weren't. Harley gathered Jem in her arms and walked downstairs and out the back door. Harley set James down when they touched the grass. James ran toward the shed, Romeo bounding after him.

Harley watched them and thought she'd never love anything like she loved them. On rough nights when her father would nearly beat her into unconsciousness, James would crawl into bed with her and she'd hold him all night long, Romeo keeping guard over them. She swore that dog was almost human, he just always seemed to know what was wrong. They were her little family.

They finished putting Rome away and walked into the living room when Jem suddenly squirmed in her grip, "I forgot Teddy in my room!" he said urgently.

Harley nodded and set him down, "Get him quickly." Teddy was actually a stuffed rabbit, the first toy Harley had ever bought Jem with her own money, it went everywhere with Jem, no exceptions.

Harley watched him run back up the stairs with a fond expression that melted off her face when she caught sight of her mother, Jane, hovering in the corner of the room, her black hair tied up and rosary in its usual place. Her mother was very religious and very frightened of everything considered dangerous. Ironic considering who she married. Her thin shaky fingers always clutched the rosary she owned, the beads always clacking together. She shifted from foot to foot, her eyes darting about the room, fingers fidgeting. She refused to meet Harley's gaze.

Jane was frightened of everything, but nothing more than Harley.

She tried not to show her fear, but whenever mother and daughter were in the same room, Harley would hear the clacking of beads and the mutters of her mother's payers. Her mother reminded her every day to be a good person, and every day Harley would say, _"I will Mom, I will."_ Her mother never replied after that. Harley tried not to show how much this hurt her, but it was confusing. Sometimes, her mother was the opposite of afraid around her. She was either struck still by awe or fear of her own daughter. She pushed her away, got close, and pushed Harley further away. Harley didn't exactly know why, but she knew it was because she was a freak.

Harley wasn't judging herself. It was a fact. Harley was a freak, always had been. She could do…_ things._ She never did anything on purpose, it seemed to be instinctual, kicking in only when she was in desperate situations. She could heal herself, make things move, run faster than full grown men, perform inhuman stunts. For a while her mother considered her a miracle of God, and from then on she told Harley every day to be a good person.

And Harley tried. She really tried.

But one day, when Dave was being particularly rough, Harley retaliated with a defensive punch that sent him flying through the wall. That was the first and last time her powers ever hurt someone. Her mother has been frightened of her ever since.

Harley didn't know why she had the powers she did, but she went with it. She used them to help raise Jem, she didn't think she could to it otherwise, just with little things. Curing him of illnesses and the few bruises he received from Dave. Her powers were what helped her keep the family somewhat stable, but she never dared use them in front of her parents. Jane would cower and Dave would rage.

Jane stared from across the room. "Are you r-ready to leave?"

"Yes mother." Harley replied stiffly. She smoothed her black Sunday dress, it was the only dress she owned. Her wardrobe was small and consisted of one leather jacket, five classic rock T-shirts and, three pairs of torn black jeans, the sandals she wore were one of two pairs of shoes she owned, the other being a pair of black leather combat boots. Her room was bare, a small twin bed and a small nightstand was all she had; she kept all of her belongings in a duffle bag and backpack. She had made Jem a duffle bag with a weeks worth of clothes as well. She felt safer that way.

She was distracted by the sound Romeo barking. She heard him bark and howl, never pausing. Harley willed him to shut up, worried Dave would get angry.

Romeo kept barking.

Jane heard it too, "Go wait in the car." Jane said without looking at her.

Harley nodded stiffly and her hand closed around the doorknob when a frightened scream sounded from upstairs. She froze for a split second, fear clawing at her heart.

the silence lasted too long and she screamed, "James!" and Harley bolted for the stairs, shoving her frozen mother out of the way and barreling toward Jem's room, one thought running through her head like a chant. _Please be okay, please be okay,_ _please be okay. _

She slammed into Jem's door, blasting it off its hinges. What she saw made her skid to a stop, her mouth opening in horror, her blood froze in her veins.

Her father stood over James, his fist twisted in Jem's shirt. His eyes were black.

Dave grinned at her, his black eyes gleaming, and before she could do anything, Harley was flying backward, slamming into the wall with enough force to knock the wind from her. She gasped for air, trying to pull herself up in a desperate attempt to get to Jem, but she couldn't. She was pressed against the wall, something holding her there.

James was crying. Tears and snot were running down his face and blood trickled from under his blonde hair. "Harley!" he cried, "Harley!"

"Leave him alone!" Harley gasped as she caught her breath, trying in vain to lift herself from the wall.

Dave laughed, a dry humorless sound. "Humans," he cooed at her, "they're so peculiar don't you think? So easily broken." He gave Jem a rough shake. James whimpered, a cut on his forehead was dotted with blood. When he looked back at her, he blinked, and his eyes were brown again.

Harley screamed, "You leave him the fuck alone! What the fuck is going on?" she screamed, struggling.

Her father laughed. "I have searched the world for you, and now, I've finally found you. Harley Rose Winchester." He smiled again and blinked, his eyes flicked from a normal brown to black once again. "And I must say, it's an honor to finally meet you."

"You haven't fuckin' found me you crazy shit!" Harley screamed, tears pricking her eyes. "I'm your fucking daughter! You've met me before you crazy ass wipe! You fucking backhanded me five minutes ago!"

Dave laughed again. "Like this?" he raised a hand and brought it down across James's face, he whimpered, eyes filling with tears, trying to be brave. She never wanted to kill anybody more in her life.

Harley wanted to punch him. Dave stepped closer, dragging a crying Jem; with each step Harley slid further and further up the wall. She was nearly hyperventilating, with fear or anger she couldn't tell. "You're wrong. This fat meat suit married your crap excuse for a mother twelve years ago, but _me," _his eyes turned black again, "well, we've only just had the pleasure of meeting."

Her feet dangled above the ground, she was eye level with… the thing. "What the fuck are you?" she growled. "What do you want?"

It laughed. "Feisty, aren't you? Just like your father. I am your nightmares little girl, one of the hundreds of monsters hiding under your bed and lurking in the shadows. I am a demon of Hell." Harley looked into the black eyes and knew it was true. She was shaking, shivers of fear and disgust running up and down her spine. He continued to speak, "They're real. All the monsters you read about in books… werewolves, vampires, ghosts, demons… they're all real little girl." He winked at her, "Just ask your Mom."

Harley felt tears prick her eyes. "No. No, that can't be true. You are fucking insane. On Drugs."

The demon smiled, "Oh but it is true, no drugs involved. It's sad really, to think, your family wouldn't even be in this mess if you weren't born."

Harley snarled. "What. The. Fuck. Do. You. Want." She ground out each word.

The demon smiled at her. "You're gonna come with me, there's someone who wants to meet you."

"Who?!" she screamed. "Who the fuck sends a monster as an invitation?!"

The demon shook his head, waggling a finger at her he said, "Now, now, be patient. You've got a lesson to learn first."

Harley stared at him, panting. "What lesson?"

Another grin. "This one."

And that's when he brought his fist to James's face.

Harley had never screamed louder or longer in her life. She couldn't stop; all she could do was scream. She closed her eyes and sobbed at the sound of each blow. She kept screaming. Over and over. _No, God please! Not my baby, please stop! Please! _

Her own screams seemed distant. A pressure was building up in her chest. A ringing in her ears. Her head was pounding.

"Stop." She said hoarsely, "Stop." her head spun.

Another blow.

The pressure got worse. The ringing got louder. Her head pounded harder.

Blood dribbled on the floor.

She couldn't hear anything anymore. Everything drowned out, the room was a blur. The pressure felt like it was going to rupture out of her chest and her head felt like it would crack in two. "I. Said. _STOP!" _the loudest scream she'd ever heard ripped from her throat, and the room exploded.

Harley fell from the wall. She landed heavily, her head cracking against the wood, her nose was broken. The taste of blood again. "James." She groaned. "James." Dizzily she pushed herself up on her elbows. The wall across from her had been completely blown out, the floor of the room opening up to open air. Her brother and the demon were nowhere in sight. "JAMES!" she screamed, scrambling to the edge and staring down in horror. They were both visible among the debris of the wall. Jem wasn't moving.

A shriek sounded behind her and her mother appeared, staring in horror. "What have you done?" she was saying, her voice getting louder and more hysterical. "What have you done?! _What have you done?!_" Harley shoved past the whimpering woman and flew down the stairs, her mother's earsplitting shrieks carried after her, echoing in her head like a screaming siren. _Whathaveyoudonewhathaveyoudo ne…_

She burst into the yard, tripping over wood wreckage. "James!" she sobbed, "James, James, James!" she ran to where his small body lay. "Jem!" she screamed, reaching him and lifting him into her arms gently.

She gently caressed hi bloodied face, turning it to her. "Jem- Oh God. Oh please no." glazed brown eyes stared emptily back at her and blood ran out of his mouth and nose. Harley felt bile rise in the back of her throat. She gagged. "Oh Jesus no. God no." She started rocking him, shaking her head in denial and petting his face. "No. Nope. No... No, no, NO! _NO! _Oh my God, _please_ no! Not him!_ Not my baby!"_She screamed, pulling him to her and burring her face in his blonde hair she continued to scream. "No! No-o… James! _James!"_ her head was tilted back, she was screaming into the sky, her fists beat the ground. She couldn't stop screaming, sobs racked her whole frame. This was not real. This couldn't be happening. Not Jem.

A shadow fell across his face, Harley had never felt such hate or horror as she stared into the demons face, a jagged piece of wood sticking from Dave's chest. "Humans. So very delicate."

Harley had never felt so much pain and rage in her life. She was unable to do anything but hold her bother's broken body and stare into the black eyes of his killer. Shaking, she said in the calmest voice she had ever used "I will find you." Harley said serenely, "And I will kill you, I swear to God."

The demon grinned, "What will _God_ do? We will find you again Harley Rose Winchester."

"I look forward to it." She snarled.

The demon laughed and threw its head back, letting out an inhuman gurgling scream, black smoke spiraled out of Dave's mouth and vanished, swirling into the sky. Dave stood there, swaying. He opened his mouth in a surprised _O_ and blood poured onto his shirt before his knees collapsed and he fell over, dead.

The pressure was building in her chest again, her head was pounding again, the ringing getting louder. Distantly she heard her mother screaming. She wasn't aware of standing, but she was suddenly on her feet, she saw James's rabbit Teddy under the wreckage and grabbed the stuffed animal without thinking. She scooped down and gently lifted Jem in her arms, his small body completely slack. She began striding toward her house and after her screaming mother, filled with a rage she never felt before.

Jane had backed into the kitchen, staring at Harley in terror. Harley heard the lock slid into place, but when she neared the door, it blew inward, shattering the lock blowing a spray of woodchips into the house. She stormed into the kitchen and past where her mother stood frozen in fear of her own daughter. Harley entered the living room, and gently laid Jem on the sofa. Still holding Teddy, she turned and walked back into the kitchen, her whole body shaking.

She caught sight of her mother, still frozen in place. The room started to shake. Dishes rattled in their cupboards and a wooden chair from the table started to vibrate. It slid across the room, knocking Jane's feet out from under her. She fell into it, to terrified to scream, it scraped across the floor again and came to a lurching stop at Harley's feet.

Harley leaned forward slowly, her face only inches from her mother's, Harley's arms on either side of the chair. "What do you know about Monsters?" she asked in a voice so steady it was threatening.

Her mother looked close to a heart attack. She stared at Harley in pure panic, "I-I-I don't kn-know anything!" she stuttered. "Nothing!" she squeaked. Her hands clutched at her rosary.

A glass on the counter exploded. Jane screamed. "What. Do. You. Know." Harley growled.

"Nothing!" Jane squealed.

Cupboard doors flew open and slammed shut repeatedly, the noise was thunderous, the room was still quaking. "The question, _Mother,_" Harley shouted, "was: _What do you know?"_

"Okay!" Jane screamed, "Okay!"

The cupboards slowly stopped slamming, standing open, the room stood still. "What aren't you telling me?" Harley snarled.

"E-e-everything!" Jane sobbed. "Everything! Dave wasn't your real father! I met him when I was nineteen, I had you when the year before. I needed someone to support us, I couldn't have done it." She took a rattling breath, "I'm thirty two. "

A dish launched itself across the room. "Who's my father? Give me a name." Harley snarled. Cupboard doors began to slam again, dishes launching themselves through the air, the room shuddering. "A NAME DAMNIT! GIVE ME A NAME!"

"DEAN WINCHESTER!" Jane screamed in terror.

Everything stopped. The last dish fell to the ground and there was dead silence. Jane was the first to break it. "In my closet," she whispered in a tiny voice, "on the top shelf, there's a wooden box. It has everything you need to know." She whimpered, "Please don't hurt me."

Harley curled her lip in disgust. She shoved the chair away from her, the scratching noise like fingernails on a chalkboard. "You are pathetic." Harley spat at her before stalking up the stairs to her mother's bedroom, stopping only to grab her bags from her room.

She opened her mother's closet, and there it was. A wooden black box with a metal latch. Harley snatched it off its shelf and put it into her backpack. Dizzily, as if in a haze, she made her way downstairs to where her mother sat frozen, prayers falling from her lips and tears falling from her eyes. Harley stumbled over to the back shed, Padfoot was going crazy, barking and growling. She grabbed his leash and clipped it on, "Come on Rome," she said shakily, "We gotta run."

She kicked off her sandals and started running, Romeo galloping by her side, sirens wailing in the distance.

**SUPERNATURAL **

Harley's feet were in tatters by the time John's Auto Shop was in sight. Padfoot ran beside her, staying in pace. "John!" she gasped, "John!"

John's blonde head appeared from under a car. "Harley! Hey how you-" his voice cut off as he took in her battered appearance, broken nose, the dried blood on her face, shoulders burdened with two loaded bags, her dress torn, drenched in sweat, feet bleeding. Harley rushed past and open mouthed John and tied Romeo's leash under the awning. "What the hell happened?"

"I can't tell you right now," she panted as she yanked a white tarp off a gleaming black motorcycle. She secured her bags to the bike, then slung a leg over. "Listen, I need you to take care of Romeo."

"What?" John gaped at her, rubbing his stubble, "For how long?"

The bike came to life with a roar. John gaped at her still bare feet. Harley answered, "A few months. Maybe a year. Promise me please." She stared at him with those dammed beautiful green eyes. "Please."

"I- Well… okay but what-?!" but she was off, speeding away on the last thing she loved. Harley tried to drown out the sound of Padfoot's howls with the wind in her ears and one thought in her head.

_Dean Winchester._


	2. Hunter

Harley slammed into the ground, her head cracking against the tile painfully. She thrust the silver dagger upward with a grunt of pain. The ghoul died, screaming and gurgling, on top of her. Harley rolled it off of her with a noise of disgust and climbed to her feet, nursing her left arm and observing the three claw marks on her collar bone.

She dragged the ghoul outside, reaching into her backpack and pouring salt along the body, dousing it in lighter fluid seconds later and ignoring the smell of burning flesh. She went back inside and attempted to fix what damage it the nice suburban house she could, the family was out of town, except for the husband who had the bad luck of running into the ghoul. The ghoul then proceeded to target and attack the neighbors, that was wen Harley came in. She'd been doing this for a year now.

It had been a year since Harley Rose Emerson's life had been destroyed.

It had been a year since Jem died.

It was still light out; only four in the afternoon, she'd finished the job rather early. She'd only been in Conway, Arkansas, for three days, just trying to find a hunt. Harley limped over to her duffle bag, throwing in the bloodstained knife she had in her hand with the rest of her weapons. She heaved it over her shoulder and limped out the door.

Harley squinted against the onslaught of the sun and walked over to her bike, the only thing of four she had left. She tied down her bag and swung her leg over, flicking her now short hair back and pulling on her black motorcycle helmet, and adjusting her finger-less gloves. The bike roared to life and rumbled underneath her. She rode it to the end of the street where she eyed a passing black classic car with envy. A 67 Impala. She'd kill for one of those.

The feeling of the pavement flying away underneath her brought her back to the day she rode out of the town she hated, leaving behind the things she loved.

Harley rode for five hours that day without stopping until her aching body and feet had gotten the best out of her. She had paid for a motel room with money she half earned, and half took from her mother. She had rinsed off all the blood, dirt, and grime; when she stepped out of the shower, she took a pair of scissors and cut most of her hair off. That night, she had sat in the middle of the bed with Teddy the stuffed rabbit, and broke the lock on her mother's box, replacing it with one of her own and observing its contents.

The box was full of papers.

It had her birth certificate, confirming her father's identity. There were pages and pages about monsters, ghouls, ghosts, demons and more. That was how she found out that monsters were real, and there were people who hunted them. Her father was a hunter. He had saved Jane from a werewolf, they spent a week together, but come the following Tuesday he and his family packed up and left.

There was a gun and a few knifes, plus another two hundred dollars. That was all she had. That night had been the worst of her life. She spent that night, curled up in the middle of the bed with Jem's Teddy, surrounded with proof nightmares existed, and cried. By the time the sun rose she realized she had only one person out there who could help her. Or so she hoped. So she started looking.

She hit the road, her beloved bike her only mode of transportation. She put the papers from the box and make them into a journal, she started looking for the monsters on some of the pages. The first one she ever found was a vengeful spirit, the page her mother wrote about them described how you had to salt and burn the bones in order to release the spirit. That was her first hunt. She traveled the country, looking for more, creating her own entries about the new creatures she stumbled upon.

On nights she couldn't afford a motel room, she propped her bags against her bike and slept wherever she stopped. She was surprised how well she adjusted to living on the road, homeless and alone. She sometimes went weeks without a shower, something she found damn annoying.

She looked for more hunters; she found a bar called the Roadhouse where she learned different tactics and tips from different hunters that came through. She kept her powers and her search confidential though, weary of everyone. Ellen, the owner of the bar, gave her a few hunting cases and she always completed them. Once Harley was satisfied with her own performance, Harley left and started the manhunt for Dean Winchester.

But Dean Winchester was harder to hunt than the monsters. She managed to pick up a trail of credit cards and solved cases, but she was always a few weeks too late.

And that was when the suits started following her. Or, rather that's what Harley called them anyway. Men in suits started appearing where she was, Harley was nearly positive they were demons, she'd been being followed by two of the black-eyed bastards; they were only fifty or so feet away when a third man, short and dressed in jeans, a T-shirt and flannel appeared and attacked them, he placed his hands on their heads, there was a flash, and they were dead. Harley high tailed it outta there as fast as her bike would take her.

She'd lost the suits two cities ago. Harley sped up, shaking the memories away, she sped to the local bar, planning on winning some cash she desperately needed, and keeping the motel she passed along the way in mind. Harley was desperate for a shower, food, and a few hours of sleep. It had been days since she last slept and weeks since she'd last showered. She only had ten dollars to her name at the moment, and she prayed that her bike didn't run out of gas until she reached the local bar.

**SUPERNATURAL**

Harley pulled into the parking lot of the motel hours later and two hundred dollars richer. Harley paid for a night and walked past numerous motel rooms, searching for hers. A motel room door opened in front of her and a dirty-blonde haired man in a leather jacket and a pair jeans stepped out, followed by a shorter, black haired man in a suit and a tan trench coat. Harley went back to the motel room numbers when the word _hunters _met her ears.

The blonde snapped at the phone. "What do you mean someone finished the job for us? We're hunters Sammy that just doesn't happen." Harley froze, and turned to the door closest to her pretending she found her room. She faced away from the two men, her heart hammering. The blonde continued, "Okay, okay! Jesus, did you see anyone- Cas! Dammit stop that! It's rude to stare...! Alright we're coming."

They walked away, the taller of the two grumbling. Harley froze and waited till they were out of earshot, then dropped in front of their motel room and picked the lock. Harley slipped inside and shut the door behind her, looking around.

It was a two bed room, one of the beds covered in papers. Harley could see her reflection in the mirror above the sink at the end of the room, the other things in the room consisted of to nightstands, a mini fridge, a table for four, and a large wardrobe. Harley walked over to the bed covered in papers and riffled through a few. She had to give it to them. The boys had done their homework.

She began to search the motel room, only turning up with one silver knife. She walked over to the mini fridge, grabbing a beer and taking a swig when she heard voices approaching the door.

She choked on her beer, "Shit! Fuck!" she hissed, looking for a place to hide. She could see three men's shadows through the curtain. She yanked open the wardrobe and ducked inside, pulling out her semi-automatic handgun. She heard the motel room door open and pressed an eye to the crack in-between the wardrobe's doors.

"- sure it was that same bike?" the blonde guy from earlier was saying.

"I'm sure dude," a new voice said. "I was driving to the house and that Harley Davison was heading in the other direction. Dude where'd Cas go?" Ice slid down and settled in Harley's stomach. They were looking for her.

"If you say so Sammy. You know what Cas is like, who knows where the hell he is." So that was Sammy. Sammy was even taller than the blonde, with longer light brown hair, a grey T-shirt and jeans. The guy in the coat was Cas, who was currently absent, though Harley was almost positive she'd seen three shadows. "Hey is this beer yours?"

Harley closed her eyes. "Fuck." she hissed under her breath.

"Nope not mine, but what are we gonna do now Dean? Should we try and find the guy?"

_Wait a second, _Harley thought,_ there's no way in hell-_

"It's rude to stare you know." Whispered a gruff voice directly into Harley's left ear.

Harley jumped so violently she rammed into the body behind her. Harley screamed bloody murder and turned around, pulling the trigger on her semi-automatic. the gun jumped in her hand and she continued to scream, bullets spraying, ripping through the wood and turning it to splinters.

"God damnit! Jesus- Sammy get down-!" she heard yells from the other men as she practically fell out of the wardrobe, sending another spray of bullets into the collapsing dresser.

The trench coat dude emerged from the ruined wardrobe and blinked at her with blue eyes. Faster than either of the other two men could react, she drew her silver knife and sunk it into his chest. He looked down at it, and then raised his head to meet her gaze. Harley shivered, her eyes were wide, and horror was uncurling in her stomach. She didn't hesitate, and made to bolt for the door.

She tried to lunge past the other two, but Gigantor caught her left upper arm in his grasp and Blondie caught her right upper arm, lifting her and throwing her backward, her gun flying out of her hand.

She landed on her back on the bed, sending papers flying. She rolled off it just as Blondie made to grab her and landed in a crouch, she pulled a silver knife from her boot and faced the three men. There was a tense moment of silence, all three of them blocking her exit. Harley spun around, hoping to get to the bathroom and climb out the window, but as soon as she turned around, she smacked into Trench Coat who suddenly materialized in front of her. He raised two fingers to her forehead faster than she could blink, and the world faded into black.

**SUPERNATURAL**

Harley groaned at the pain in her head. She came to slowly at first, everything blurry. She tried to lift her hands to the lump on her head she got by hitting the ground and groaned when she was handcuffed to a sink. She groaned again when she looked up to find Blondie and Trench Coat watching her, Blondie with a hint of hostility and Trench Coat with open curiosity. This was about it for Harley. Her head hurt, her arm hurt, her cuts stung, she was covered in dirt and sweat, her hair was greasy, and she was so hungry she was slightly nauseous.

Blondie finally spoke. "While Sammy's busy searching your bike we've got some questions.'

Harley glared. "I swear to God if you fuckers mess with my Baby it will be the last thing you ever do." She glared at Trench Coat, fear rising in her throat. "What kind of fucking monster is he? I _stabbed _him! not to mention pumped him full of bullets!"

"Bullet and stab wounds have no effect on me." Trench Coat said, sounding like an dictionary.

"He's not a monster," Blondie said defensively.

"Then he's a demon." She stated simply.

Blondie glared. "You following us?"

"Depends," she said, cool and calm on the outside. Harley swallowed, her heart jumping in her chest. "You Dean Winchester?"

He cocked an eyebrow. "What's it to you?"

Sam entered with her bags, setting it down he said, "Dean man, check this out. She's defiantly a hunter." he riffled through her bag, holding up different items. "Holy water, salt rounds, silver knifes… kid knows what she's doing man." He said, going through her weapons bag.

"Damn right." Harley snapped.

Sam pulled out Teddy. He raised an eyebrow. "Though maybe she's too young to be doing this."

Harley strained against the handcuffs, "Shut the hell up! You put that the fuck down Sasquatch!" Sam dropped it in surprise.

Dean turned back to her. "Why are you following us?"

_Holy shit. _Harley stared at him. He may have had blonde hair, but they had the same face structure, the same freckles, and the sane nose. Harley's eyes were identical to his. _Holy shit I've found him. _Harley thought. She realized he'd asked a question and opened her mouth, but the words died in her throat. How should she tell him? She was deciding the best way to put it when he snapped at her.

"Well?" he barked.

She glared, suddenly pissed. "I'm your daughter you asshole." She snapped. Surprise dick.

Silence. Dead silence. The silence stretched past the point of awkward. Sam, and the other man Harley remembered to be Cas just stared between Dean and herself. Dean's face was completely slack, but Harley could see the cogs turning behind the poker face. "Sam, Cas, we need to talk outside for a minute." He said suddenly, abruptly standing and practically storming out the door, Cas and Sam following him with backward glances at Harley. She sighed as the door slammed shut.

_Way to break it to him idiot. _Harley thought sourly. _Had to let the anger get the better of you. Again._ She could hear raised voices, all three of their muffled voices talking at once.

She heard Dean say, "Well I don't fucking know Sammy! Maybe!"

Sam shushed him and the conversation faded again. It was another five minutes before the motel door opened and Sam came first, Dean and Cas following behind him. Sam walked towards her and pulled out a chair, sitting in front of her. Smiling at her slightly.

Harley sighed loudly and rolled her eyes. "Who are you? His boyfriend?"

Sam contained an eye roll and said, "I don't know Dean, you sure she's not your kid? The whole, "Touch my wheels I kill you," smartass attitude, and Metallica shirt, kinda say otherwise."

"Shuddup Sam." Dean snapped, "Either ask her the questions or I will."

"Hmm," Harley hummed, "That'd be interesting."

Sam pinched the bridge of his nose. "Shut up the both of you." He eyed Harley. "What's your name?"

"Harley Rose Emerson." she said trying to work the handcuffs.

Gigantor nodded. "Sam Winchester."

Harley's eyebrows rose. "Older or younger?"

"Younger." Sam clarified.

"Huh." She scoffed,blowing hair out of her face and gesturing to Dean, "So is he just stunted or what?"

Dean growled. "Hey!"

Sam ignored both of them. "How old are you?"

"Fifteen now. Dean met my Mom in Arizona, her name is Jane Marie Emerson. He saved her from a werewolf and they spent a week together, but then you and your family moved on. She never saw him again and either didn't want or didn't know how to contact him."

Sam said, "Well okay but we still can't be entirely sure-"

Dean cut him off, speaking quietly. "Let her go."

Sam and Cas stared at him. Sam spoke, surprise and confusion in his tone. "What?"

Dean sighed in frustration. "Give me the damn keys!" he snapped, grabbing them from Cas, and striding past Sam. He knelt next to her and the handcuff sprung open with a click.

Identical green eyes stared at each other. Harley rubbed her sore wrist and stood when Dean did. Dean cleared his throat, glancing at Cas and Sam. "Her story fits. When I was eighteen we stopped in Arizona for a werewolf case. I remember."

There was silence again, now all three pairs of eyes were on Harley. She stared at Dean, she'd been searching a whole year and now she'd found him. She realized they were waiting for her to speak.

And she had no idea what to say to him. He probably didn't want her around and she wasn't sure if he knew anything about the demon. She took a deep breath. "Sir, I know you don't know me and I know this is kinda big. I'm not asking to stay or anything, I just need some money. Not too much, just a couple hundred." She squirmed under their gazes. "I really need it, that bike's all I got."

"You followed us,-" Dean stressed, "-to ask for a couple hundred bucks?"

Harley snorted. "No sir. I also need you to know that I'm hunting a demon that killed my little brother. If I die I need someone else to do it for me."

Dean rubbed his face, "That's it?"

Harley sighed, she was bloodstained, her hair was greasy and she never even got to check into her room. "Well, I would _really _like it if I could take a hot shower, eat, and have at least five hours of sleep."

Dean stared at her, an unreadable expression on his face. He nodded, "We can arrange that."


	3. Dean Winchester

Harley stepped into the shower, letting the warm water rush over her, stinging her cuts and washing away a layer of dirt. She rubbed soap onto her skin, relishing the feeling of having shaved legs and being clean, her hair soft and dirt free. She cleaned her wounds as best as she could and stepped out of the shower, drying her skin. She walked out from the bathroom, towel drying her hair that didn't even touch her shoulders, finally in a change of clean clothes.

Dean, Sam and Cas were seated at the small table, talking quietly. She, her father, and his friends agreed that she could clean up and they would "talk" during dinner. As she approached the small table they all stopped talking and observed her as she slid into the open seat. Dean passed her a food tray, "Here," Dean said, placing a plastic box in front of her.

Harley stared at it, poking it with her fork. "This fucking salad better not be for me." She glared between the brothers.

Sam and Dean exchanged a "oh shit" glance. "Uh," Dean said intelligently, "No?"

Harley snatched his tray and shoved the wilting salad at him. She ignored Dean's look of shock, Cas's blank look of interest, and Sam's amusement. She unwrapped the food, "Thank God, a bacon cheeseburger!" she bit into it, swallowing loudly she exclaimed, "These things are fucking awesome. I have been running across the country looking for you three, I want an actual meal, not that girly vegetable crap."

Sam was laughing. "Oh yeah." He said smiling, "I can't see the family resemblance at all."

The three men shared a glance, but Dean spoke, getting on topic. "What are your plans once you leave here?" Dean asked.

Harley glared over her burger. "No offence Sir, but no way in hell am I telling you anything." she looked over to Cas whose face was stony. "I stabbed you" she pointed at Cas, "in the chest. You didn't even flinch." She chewed her burger. "Why should I tell any of you anything? Tell me what his is first."

Dean sighed. Leaning back he said, "Okay. Well... we'll tell you what he is. But I can promise you, you won't believe us."

Harley rolled her eyes. "I've been hunting for a year." she said through a mouthful, "I literally fight supernatural shit for a living. Try me."

Dean sighed gestured to Cas, who sat a little straighter who said, "I am Castiel. I am an Angel of the Lord."

Harley chewed her burger, panic alarms going off in her head. She said calmly, "And I'm Harley. The Queen of England." She swallowed a bite of her burger, "Nice try. What the hell are you?"

He stared at her with a vacant expression and repeated. "An Angle of th-"

"Angels don't exist." She interrupted rather loudly.

"How can you be so sure?" he questioned, his blue eyes pouring into hers.

She set down her burger and stared at him. "Because I'm a fucking hunter. If Angels existed, then we wouldn't _need _hunters. Because my mother told me that Angels were watching over me but I still lost _everything_ I ever loved. Angels don't exist because my little brother is _dead_." Her eyes burned. "If Angels _do exist_, they've got a _lot_ of explaining to do."

There was a tense silence in where Harley and Castiel stared at each other. He looked rather sad. Castiel broke her gaze first. "Angels do exist, but Heaven is in a state of chaos. Civil war may break out any day now."

Harley stared. "War. In fucking heaven." She put her head in her hands. "Well we're screwed then, even the Angels turn into murders." She sneered.

Castiel glared at her, and that was when she saw it, the inhuman edge to his face. The air seemed to hold almost a static energy and Harley would never admit it, but she was slightly frightened. "Angels are warriors. We are born to follow orders." He growled, "I'm here because I'm trying to fix things. The rest of Heaven is corrupt. I am the only Angel trying to fix things."

Harley sat back. "You're…" she stared at the three faces in front of her. "Holy shit." She put her head in her hands.

Sam looked kinda concerned, "You okay?"

Harley laughed, only slightly hysterically. "Angels exist. Angels _fucking_ exist. _Heaven _actually exists." She tried to wrap her thoughts around something. "Does that mean Hell exists?"

"Yes." It was Dean who answered, watching her face carefully.

Hell exists. Heaven exists. Holy shit. She held up a finger. "Gimme a minute." She took a deep breath. Angels are real. Real assholes. Okay. She can think about that later. Harley picked up her burger. "Okay." She said evenly, controlling her breathing. "What the hell is an _Angel_ doing with you two?"

Dean stared at her through narrowed eyes. "You got over that pretty fast."

Harley chocked down the last bite of her burger. "I don't have time to think about that now Sir, I can do it later." She belched loudly and nicked Dean's fries.

"I am… slowly being cut off from Heaven." Castiel said, "Sam and Dean are-"

"His friends." Dean interrupted. "We're his friends."

The Angel smiled at him softly. Harley noticed he fixed his stare at Dean over Sam. She held back a smirk. "Okay, we told you what Cas is, and why he's here. Now can you answer our question?" Dean watched her gulp down his soda.

She leaned back. "Well Sir, I don't really have plans. I just kinda… go wherever there's a case. I guess might go back to the Roadhouse-"

Dean and Sam looked surprised. "You know Ellen and Jo?" Sam asked.

Harley nodded, "Oh yeah," she said, "They're awesome. Ellen and some of the local hunters taught me how to hunt."

Dean raised his eyebrows. "What the hell got you into hunting?"

Harley glanced at him, but looked at the table while she spoke. "A Demon took over my step-dad. It was there for me, said that someone wanted to meet me, but wouldn't tell me who. He… he-uh made me watch… while he beat my seven year old brother." Harley's throat was tight, her eyes were burning, but she pushed the feeling down. She put it in the "later" box. "The demon had me pinned on the wall; my feet weren't even touching the ground. After it was done, the demon made the room explode. Both James and my step father were killed. I demanded the truth from my Mom after, and she gave me a box that had my birth certificate and a bunch of articles on monsters. She wrote a letter explaining how she met Dean. I've been looking ever since."

Silence around the table. Dean took a deep breath, "I am so sorry," he said heavily, "they were probably after you because of us. I wish you didn't have to live like this."

Harley stared at him. In their brief encounter, Harley had shoved her emotions about her father, her life, and her family in a box in the corner of her mind. At first she was weary and defensive around her father and the odd company he kept, and in the shower she tried her best not to think and focus on her wounds. She realized that she and her father were probably both doing the same thing, shoving the emotions out of the way to keep calm in order to handle the situation. They'd both probably have shit attacks about this later.

Emotions were coming to the surface again. Exhaustion, anger, confusion, frustration, guilt, hope, and a crushing sadness threatened to overwhelm her. She forcibly shoved it down. Sighing, she said, "I don't think it was because of you Sir. The demon only mentioned you once."

Sam asked, "In what context?"

Harley smirked. "Well I was kinda screaming at it. It told me I acted like my father. That was it. It didn't even say your name. When I ran away they started following me." She thought in silence for a moment. "I lost them two cities ago, but they've been on my trail ever since I left the Roadhouse."

Castiel frowned. "If this is true then your daughter is in just as much danger as we are."

Harley's eyes widened, "Whoa, what? You guys are being hunted too?"

"Every damn day." Sam said standing and clearing off the table. "We've pissed some things off."

"By doing what?"

"Oh you know," Dean said reclining, "Nothing huge, we just put a stop to the friggin Apocalypse."

Harley stared at the three of them. The world almost ended. Okay. "So you pissed off the guys downstairs and now… what?"

"Well that's the thing," Sam said, "Not much. We've just been doing routine cases, a demon hasn't come directly for us in moths."

Harley snorted. "Lucky you."

Dean spoke up. "It's not right, the activity is getting stronger, we just don't know why." He placed his hands on the table, "Okay, I say we go to Bobby's and figure out what to do there. Demons are following her for a reason, if we can corner one of them we might be able to figure out why."

"Whoa, hold up." Harley stared at the three of them. "I don't have a phone. If you need to reach me for information you're gonna have to call the Roadhouse and hope I'm there."

They all exchanged glances again. "Here's the thing," Dean spoke slowly, "Look I know we don't-" he paused and tried again, "Well I think it would be-" he sighed. "Okay, we want you to come with us."

Dean wouldn't look at her, he looked embarrassed. Harley tried to squash the happiness that rose when she heard that he- _they _actually _wanted _her to come with them. She tired to keep from smiling too broadly, "Okay. I'd like that Sir."

He looked at her then, and smiled.

Harley smiled back. "Under one condition."

"What?" Dean looked a little apprehensive.

"I'm taking my bike. Where I go, it goes." Harley said stubbornly.

Dean rolled his eyes. "Bobby's house is in South Dakota."

"Then I'll ride it all the way to South Dakota if I have to Sir." She tilted her chin stubbornly.

"Fine!" Dean said, throwing up his hands, "We'll hit the road in the morning, if we have to we can switch bike drivers."

Harley glared. "I promise Sir, we won't have to." She said, making it clear she was the only one allowed on the bike. Harley stretched and yawned, "I still need to find my room."

"Your bags are already here; just take one of those beds, Sammy can crash in your room."

"I'm flattered you put so much trust in me Sir." She said sarcastically. He only shrugged. "Nah I get it. Creepy girl hides in your wardrobe, stabs your Angel buddy, then claims to be your daughter." she studied him, "You're not letting me out of your sight."

Dean smiled. "Not a chance." He said, not unkindly.

Harley huffed. "My room has only one bed. There are four of us."

Castiel spoke up, "I don't require sleep. We have an adequate number of beds."

Harley was going to say something, but changed her mind. She was weary of Cas. "Fuck whatever." Harley shoved her chair back and stood, collapsing on the bed closest to the door. She tossed Sam her room key. "You're paying me back for that room. I earned that from some poor pool saps at the local bar." She heard the door shut after Sam, Dean and Castiel were talking in murmurs. Harley's eyes grew heavy and she relaxed, slipping into sleep.

**SUPERNATURAL**

Harley woke with a gasp, jerking awake. She opened her eyes, flashes of the dream passing in front of her eyes before slipping away. _Jem, a raised fist, and a cruel smile. Black eyes, the smell of blood and the taste of tears. The echo of blows and the sound of screams. _

Harley sat up, looking around the room. The only light was coming through the window; the clock read 3:30am. Castiel was gone, and Dean was lying on his stomach, his face nearly hanging off the edge of the bed, eyes closed. Harley slipped out of bed quietly, creeping to the door and shutting it carefully behind her.

Harley walked over to her bike, and laid it gently on its side; she sat and leaned her back against the seat, doing nothing to keep the tears at bay.

She was finally here. She'd finally found him, and now she had no idea what to do. In the past year, she had looked endlessly for her father. When she couldn't afford gas for her bike, she'd train hop, walk, or run. She'd dragged herself all over this damned country, hiding in the more shady areas of town. The road here had been rough, and now that she was here, she didn't know how to move forward.

All the emotions she'd felt about her father were swirling around in her head, not to mention her thoughts on religion now. Did that mean the Christians were right? Or was it the Catholics that believed in Angels? She didn't even know.

Could she be damned? That thought was the only thing keeping her from putting a pistol to her head. If Heaven existed, why should she be here when she could be with Jem? That was where her thoughts of damnation came in; she didn't want to wake up in Hell. Her mother was right, had been all along. Harley's shoulders started to shake and she bowed her head.

She jumped when a body settled next to her. She wiped her eyes frantically as Dean sat down next to her, their shoulders touching. He spoke, "You know, I was raised like this. To be a hunter. Sammy was too, though I tried for the longest time to keep the monsters make-believe; under his bed, or in his closet, but my Dad… we'll…" he was silent for a moment. "I've been doing this since I was four, Sammy since he was six months old. It never stopped me from wishing though; I wanted our family to be normal. I wanted a chance at a house, a job that wouldn't threaten my life, a wife. Kids." Harley glanced up at him. He was looking at her with a sad expression on his handsome face. "This was never the life I wanted for my family. I'm sorry you got sucked into it."

Harley studied him. She figured Dean wasn't good about the whole, "talking about his feelings" thing, but he seemed the type of guy who would try anyway to fix things. She spoke quietly, "I know Sir. I wouldn't want it for anyone, but it wasn't something I could avoid. I can't just walk away either, there's too much I have to finish. I get you're trying to convince me to give up and life like a normal teenager, but I can't. I'm not normal."

He sighed. "Then I'll be here. You know… if you need me."

Harley couldn't stop the tears from flowing. "I do." She hiccupped, "I don't have anyone else to go to."

"You've got me and Sammy now. Even Cas, he's just a little weird, useless on the emotional shit too."

Harley smiled faintly. "Why his he so…"

"Creepy?" Harley laughed, "Coz he's friggin old. He doesn't get any of our references or styles, he doesn't understand it. It's funny sometimes actually. He's a good guy though. He would never hurt you."

Harley nodded, slightly relieved "So… if Hell exists… Dean... what if I'm going to Hell?"

Dean rolled his eyes. "People who go to Hell are people with wicked souls. Twisted people... or people who sell their souls. Humans don't have religion down to pat, they get a lot wrong."

Harley nodded. She felt slightly better, she didn't _think _she was an evil person. "Thanks Dean."

"Anytime kiddo." They were silent for a moment before Dean spoke again. "You know, I'm surprised your Mom went with the name Harley."

Harley hummed with interest, "Why's that Sir?"

"Coz in the week I spent with her, we talked about what we wanted our lives to be like. I told her I liked the name Harley for a girl. Why do you keep calling me Sir?"

"Mother never struck me as sentimental. My step-father forced me to address him as Sir, I'm just used to it. And I don't really know what else to call you. Dean sounds too generic, it'd be weird to call you Dad, and Father sounds too formal. So I call you Sir."

Dean shrugged, "Whatever you're comfortable with. "Sir" just makes me sound like an army general." He was silent for a moment. "I defiantly see a bit of Jane in you, but it's kinda freaky how you act like me." he chuckled, "Your Mom was a pistol."

Harley snorted, "What? No way!" she scrapped her boot against the ground, "She's a scared, religious, weak woman."

Dean looked shocked. "That wasn't how she was when I knew her."

"Yeah well," Harley said dryly. "She changed Sir. She even married a drunken abusive asshole."

"What?" Dean snapped, "You can't be serious."

Harley laughed bitterly. "Yup. My father-" she mentally slapped herself, "sorry Sir… step-father was a very controlling person. They were both shit excuses for parents. I raised my little brother, I was more of a Mother to him than that pig ever was. It was my job to look after him. I worked jobs to make sure he had nice toys. I'd protect him from anything." Harleys eyes burned. "But that day I… I couldn't move. That fucking… _thing… _had me pined and I couldn't protect him." she let out a shaky sob. "He died, calling for me. He was only seven."

Dean put an arm around her shoulder and she inhaled the faint smell of gun smoke and leather. "I am so sorry." He said earnestly, "We'll help you find the son of a bitch that killed him."

Harley sat under her fathers arm and thought for the first time that maybe, just maybe, things were looking up. She and Dean sat in silence until the sun rose, both lost in their own thoughts.


	4. Bobby Singer

When the sun rose, Harley and Dean went back into their motel room and started packing up. "Can I have my weapons back Sir?" Harley asked irritably, noticing the lightness of her duffle bag.

Dean eyed her. Harley huffed. "If I wanted to kill you, I would've done it when you stepped out of your motel room."

Dean sighed, "Fine, but if you kill me I'm gonna be pissed."

Harley chuckled, "Noted Sir."

There was a flutter of what sounded like fabric, and suddenly Castiel was standing beside Dean as if he were there the whole time. Harley nearly jumped out of her skin, staggering back a few steps. She eyed the angel wearily. Dean grunted, "Use the door next time Cas, she's not used to this."

Castiel nodded at her. "My apologies."

"Uh," Harley said, "Yeah okay. Where the hell do you go when you disappear anyway?" she asked suspiciously.

"Where ever I wish." The angel replied.

Harley waited until Dean was out of ear shot. "Castiel… Cas… can I ask you a question?"

He fixed his blue eyes on her. "You may."

Harley swallowed. "Is… is my brother- James… is he... up there? Is he okay?" she wrung her hands nervously.

Castiel's hard blue stare softened. "Yes." He said quietly, "He is there. I visited him in Heaven, he misses you as you miss him, but he is happy."

Harley sniffed, wiping at a tear. "Thanks Cas."

He tilted his head slightly. "Of course."

Dean called to Cas, "Hey Cas, do you think you could just zap her bike over to Bobby's?"

"Of course Dean." Cas replied. They continued to look at each other until Harley spoke.

"What?" Harley demanded, "Why?"

Dean shrugged, "It's easier."

Harley glared. "You're lucky I'm almost out of gas."

Cas disappeared with the fluttering sound again. "What the hell is that noise he makes?" Harley asked Dean as they loaded the Impala with their things. Her bike was gone; she'd kill the angel if it was damaged.

"His wings I think." Dean said as Sam walked up to the car. "Good morning sunshine!" Dean sang at him.

"Bite me." He muttered putting his bag in the car. He straightened up. "Hey Harley."

She smiled hesitantly, "Hey Sam." There was the flutter of wings and Cas reappeared beside her.

"The motorbike is at Bobby's." he informed her.

"If you've damaged it you've got hell to pay Angel Boy." She threatened, climbing in the car.

They all filed in after her, even Castiel, Dean started the car and they pulled away from the motel. "How in the hell are we gonna explain this to Bobby?" Sam voiced.

Harley stared between them from the back seat. "You haven't told him?"

"What were we supposed to say? " Dean argued, "Oh hey Bobby, my daughter showed up in my wardrobe and started spraying bullets at everyone?"

Harley huffed. "You could've thought of something."

"Yeah well we didn't. Besides, it's easier in person."

Harley rolled her eyes. "Whatever." She thought for a second, "Who is this guy anyway?"

"The closest thing we got to a father." Sam answered, "And a damn good hunter, you need information on anything and he can get it." Sam and Dean bantered back and forth and Harley tuned them out.

Harley turned to Cas who was seated next to her. He sat stiffly, his blue eyes fixed on the road in front of them. "Hey Cas?"

He turned, "Yes?"

"How old are you?"

"I have existed for centuries. Age has little meaning to an angel."

"Wow. We must look like bugs to you."

"On the contrary," Cas said, "I think you look like giants."

Harley was silent for a moment, lost thought. Then she spoke, "Tell me a story."

"A story?" he questioned. "What kind of story?"

"Any story, you're centuries old, you must have tons of them."

"I spent the majority of my creation in heaven."

"So tell me a story about the angels."

Cas thought for a moment. "The first Angel created by God was Raguel. Or, the 'Friend of God'. His chief role in heaven was to oversee all of the other archangels and angels, to ensure that they all work together in a harmonious and orderly fashion. God summoned figments of light from across the universe and built them up with his own hands to make the creation of the Angel.

The second Angel was Michael. God took strength and justice and summoned light from the darkness and molded Michael into existence in his hands. God's heavenly warrior, fighting for his righteous cause. And Michael's creation brought light into the universe.

The third Angel to come into existence was Lucifer. When time came into existence, God took the first star on the first morning into his hands, and using its light, the Angel Lucifer came into existence. God took every echo of sound into his hands and Lucifer's beginning was sung throughout the universe.

The fourth Angel was created out of God's own love and kindness. He took this love and kindness and with it he breathed life into the Angel Gabriel. Every Angel has a creation story, I hardly doubt you want to listen to millions."

Dean was staring at him in the rearview mirror, Sam turned his head and was looking at him too. "Dude!" Dean said, "You never told us that before!"

Cas shrugged. "You never asked."

Harley felt her lack of sleep from the night before, and she allowed herself to drift to sleep. She woke to Cas's hand on her shoulder, gently shaking her from sleep and Dean's voice saying something. She looked around, seeing the run-down house and towers of rusty cars. Dean jogged up the porch steppes and raised a fist, "Bobby!" he called through the door, "Bobby it's us."


	5. Johnny Boy

Harley had only been in the Singer household for a week and already she loved it. The house reminded her of the one she left behind, old and creaky, but comfortable and safe. It made her long for Jem and Romeo in a bitter-sweet way. She had her own room too; not much, but more than she had at home with her own posters and drawers for her clothes. She busied herself for the past week going through Bobby's library, learning about things she didn't even know existed and adding them to her journal.

The house itself wasn't why she loved it though, it was the people. Bobby was very nice to her, letting her use anything she needed. He'd snort when she'd ask permission for something and growl, "Well it's just as much your house now as it is mine, might as well go ahead."

He wouldn't mind sitting and talking with her over books and giving her tips. He was funny and wise, like the grandfather she never had and never complained about her being around. She wasn't sure whether or not he'd appreciate the title, but "Uncle" seemed to work just fine.

She liked Sam a lot too, he was funny and easy to talk to, he'd help her train too, teaching her the best way how to hold and fight with a knife. She never had an actual uncle before either, but she thought Sam was doing a good job. Harley was stupid if she thought that she knew everything there was about hunting, Sam was quickly teaching her otherwise. They'd run different drills on different monsters and the best way to take them out. When he suggested one on killing a demon, she stared at him, "I thought you couldn't kill demons?"

Sam twirled a silver knife with jagged edges, "Not normally, but we've got two things that can kill 'em." He took a pistol from the waistband of his jeans; it was an old antique gun. He held it up. "Hundred years or so ago, one of the most famous hunters in history, Samuel Colt, made a gun that could kill practically anything. Even demons." He held out a handful of bullets to her, "It can only use these, it used to be there were only thirteen bullets, but a few years ago we learned how to make more from the same person who gave us this-" he held up the knife. "It can kill practically anything too."

Harley watched him as he threw it with accurate precision; "When you say practically anything…" the knife sunk into the chest the old scarecrow they were using as a dummy.

Sam retrieved the knife. "It can't kill angels, Dean reaction to Cas was similar to yours, his knife was just supposed to kill anything." He held the Colt gun out to her, "Be careful with this, lots of things would like to get their hands on it." The gun never left her person after that. She kept it tucked it the waist-band of her jeans and slept with it under her pillow.

She was surprised at how much she actually liked Cas, expecting to be uncomfortable and weary around him, but found it was just the opposite. She loved talking to him; or rather listening. They would sit together, usually outside, and Cas would tell her stories of the stars, and they sky and the earth. Cas took such wonder in all of the things around them that she couldn't help asking questions. Talking to Cas made Harley feel just a little more hopeful. It made her have respect for even the smallest things, from a beetle to vampires; Harley how held some sort of respect for everything. She also enjoyed learning about the Angels; he would explain how they worked and what their powers were like. Dean would usually sit with them, saying even less than Harley, but just enjoying listening to them talk.

Things between Harley and Dean were awkward. She was slightly weary of him. For the first few days she stayed out of his why, used to her step-father being unpredictably violent; until she figured out that wasn't what Dean wanted. She liked talking to Dean almost as much as Cas, they just talked about different things. They'd exchange stories, tease Sam, and bicker over who was right or who was wrong. Dean taught her how to dive a car, play poker, and prank Sam. Dean taught her that not all fathers were drunken assholes.

She was sitting outside with him now; Dean leaned back on the porch steps and watched Cas who sat across from her, cross-legged with his palms cupped in front of him. He was speaking, "Imagine your body as a white light, without limitations, without needs." Harley mirrored his actions, sitting straighter as he scooped a handful of dirt into his cupped hands. "Now imagine taking a piece of it, barely the size of a teardrop, flowing from your being to create-" he held the dirt out for her to see, and there in the center, a tiny green sprout was pushing itself from the soil. "-life."

Cas rose from where he sat on the porch. He took the sprout and planted it at the base of a pole supporting Bobby's porch. "It will be a rose vine in a year or so."

Dean and Cas went back inside, but Harley hesitated going after them. She hadn't used her powers in months, but she wondered if her powers were similar to Cas's.

Harley scooped a handful of dirt in her palms and focused on what Cas had said. _Imagine your body as a white light _Harley inhaled. _Now Imagine taking a piece of it, barely the size of a teardrop, _she imagined it, glowing in the center of her palm, _flowing from your being to create- _sheimagined the drop splitting open. Harley opened her eyes and glanced down at the pile of dirt in her hands and waited.

Nothing happened. She sighed, unsurprised. She wasn't an angel after all; she didn't expect anything to happen. She stood and put the little dirt mound around Cas's sprout and went back inside.

The next day she was woken by shouting. "-in the Hell did you do to my house idijit?" Bobby's voice echoed up the stairs. Harley groaned and rolled over but sat back up when she noticed the sunlight coming through her window was filtered. She walked over to the window and stared in shock.

Thick, thorny branches grew over her window, red roses blossoming from them. They were thick and tangled and gnarled, the smell of roses was strong.

Harley stared at a rosebud pressed against her window. "Shit." She whispered. She stood there frozen, before she turned around and walked towards the sound of Bobby shouting.

She walked outside, the morning rays assaulting her face and joined the four men who were standing back and looking up the side of the house. She stopped near Sam's tall frame and craned her neck upwards.

The rose vines started at the base of the pole where Cas planted his sprout, and had grown over the porch roof and twisted up the wall of the house, some of it's vines looping over the sides of the wall and hugging the base of the chimney. The vines had grown right over Harley and Sam's windows.

Sam spoke, "Impressive Cas."

Bobby turned to shout at Cas. "What the hell did you do boy? It's grown over my windows! Do you know how big of a pain in the ass it's gonna be trimming it back?"

Cas was staring at the plant with his mouth slightly open and a frown on his brow. "I- I didn't- I did not put nearly that much energy into the seed. I'm a weakened angel, I wouldn't waste energy on something like this."

Dean frowned. "If you didn't then who did?"

Cas frowned deep in thought. Harley tried to act natural. Finally Cas spoke, "I do not know. But whoever it was is far more powerful than I. We need to be careful, I doubt this is a warning but if this thing means us harm things will get complicated." He stepped forward and placed one finger on the vines. The vines covering her and Sam's windows uncoiled and moved to the frame of the windows, clearing the space. "That should stop the rate at which it was growing."

Harley spoke up, trying to ask a question without sounding guilty, _"Was _it an angel?"

Cas frowned again, looking up at the plant. "I do not know… it is hard to tell, there are traces of angelic power… but something else too…"

Harley swallowed and nodded. "So what do we do now?"

Sam spoke up. "We should sweep the area for signs of a demonic presence, just in case."

Dean slapped him on the back. "Good thinking Sammy. You should get on that."

"Jerk."

"Bitch."

Sam and Bobby walked into the house, Cas and Dean close behind them. Dean paused looking back, "You coming?"

"Yeah," Harley answered, "I just have to get something out of the Impala, I'll be right in."

Dean shrugged, "Hurry up, this thing still might be hanging around."

Harley nodded, "Yes sir." She turned and walked to the Impala. She reached the trunk and opened it incase someone was looking out the window.

"Fuck." Harley bumped her head against the edge of the trunk. _Fuck. Great, now _I'm _being hunted, by my family no less. _She had no idea how to explain this to them, she didn't even think her attempt last night had worked.

Well there really wasn't any other option; she'd have to tell them now. Sighing, Harley closed the trunk with a snap and turned around, nearly slamming into someone.

Her eyes widened. "John?!" she gasped, recognizing the blonde-haired man.

John grinned. "Hi-a Harley."

Harley blinked, "What are yo-"

_WHAM! _

John's fist slammed into her face, knocking her off her feet. She landed on her back, the air escaping her lungs; her head cracked against the sidewalk, and she heard something crunch in her nose. John loomed above her, his fist wrapped in her shirt, holding her torso off the ground. She gasped, trying to draw air in her lungs, but ended up nearly choking on the blood spurting from her nose.

He pulled back his fist, _WHAM! _Harley's head snapped to the left. _WHAM! _Her neck twisted to the right. Her face was stinging. She struggled against his grip, kicking at him, trying to release his grip, but her well placed punches and kicks did nothing. _WHAM, WHAM! _Her head snapped backward, she thought she heard her jaw break. He pulled his fist back again.

Once. Twice. Three times.

Her shirt is still in his grip. She sagged in his grip, her shirt holding her above the ground, her head dangling inches above it. Blood from her nose dribbled in her hair and one of her eyes had swollen shut. Harley coughed and pain flared through her jaw, blood dribbled out of the corner of her mouth.

A weight settled on top of her. He had her pinned, he leaned down and whispered, "I'm going to beat you within an inch of your life." His voice was calm, soothing. When he pulled back to stare at her, he blinked and his eyes flashed black. Harley wrenched her arm out of his grip and punched him in the jaw. He fell back and she tried to get to her feet, raising into a crouch.

A hand closed around her ankle and pulled her legs out from under her. Her face slammed into the ground and she felt hands turn her over. She spat a mouthful of blood in his face. He growled and grabbed a fistful of her hair, she could feel his nails scarping her scalp, and slammed it repeatedly into the ground.

Stars bloomed behind Harley's eyelids. Her chest felt tight and her head was spinning, pounding; everything sounded fuzzy, a ringing was building in her ears. She heard shouting and the grip on her shirt was gone, she fell back onto the dirt and felt hands on her face, her neck.

The pounding was becoming unbearable, the ringing was deafening and she felt like she couldn't breathe past the weight on her chest. She felt hands under her, supporting her head, lifting her from the ground. The pressure was building. Her head was pounding. She was surrounded with church bells. The pressure burst. Her whole body shuddered, a violent shiver running through her. She jerked, throwing her head back, her eyes burned and, goose bumps rose on her skin.

Suddenly, the ringing faded and the pain was gone. She could still taste blood, but her nose and jaw no longer felt like they were broken. Sound suddenly came rushing back, and she heard the boys all shouting. Dean had her in his arms and tried not to jostle her as he raced inside the house. "Bobby! Bobby, bring the first aid kit!" Dean shouted over his shoulder. She heard Sam grunting and the sound of struggling before Dean deposited her on the couch.

"Dean-" she tried to sit up.

Dean gently pushed her back down as Bobby appeared with the fist aid kit. "Just take it easy kiddo, don't try to talk your jaw didn't look so good."

"No Dean! I'm fine." She tried to sit up again but he wouldn't let her.

She sat still while he cleaned her face, and waited for his reaction. He was dabbing gently at the blood on her chin. His hands slowed down and Harley felt him pause. "Huh." He muttered. He moved on to her forehead but stopped again. "What the fuck?" The blood on her face hadn't dried, but as Dean cleaned her face of it, he couldn't find the source. His hands gently prodded her head, but she didn't seem injured.

When her face was clear of blood he sat back and stared at her through narrowed eyes a weary and shocked look on his face. He leaned back and rubbed his face. He looked up at her and held his hands in an exasperated gesture, "What. The. Fuck."

Harley was saved from answering by a scream coming from downstairs. Dean and Harley both sped from the room, entering the basement. John sat tied to a chair in a Devil's Trap, Bobby stood to the side with Cas who was holding an open book. Sam stalked around the circle with a dripping bucket in his hands.

Dean and Harley moved closer to the group, and on closer inspection Harley realized he was covered in blood. "Oh my God," she whispered, bringing a hand to her mouth. "You shot him."

"It was necessary." Cas said. "He intended to cause you harm."

She stared at him. "He was my friend. He was my friend and you shot him."

Nobody would meet her eyes, but Sam spoke, "Harley-"

She held up a hand. "Don't Sam. I know." She took a deep breath and stalked forward, standing in front of the demon.

The demon chuckled. "Harley Rose Winchester." He smiled. "Always a pleasure." He gave her one of John's charming smiles, black eyes gleaming. He flicked blonde hair out of his face and blinked up at her, his eyes turning into John's blue ones. "You Winchesters are hard to find, but we'll find you eventually. You can't run from this little girl. This is far bigger than you and me."

Her hands were shaking. She clenched them into fists. "You know don't you? You know what's wrong with me."

He leaned his head back lazily, "Honey, what I know that you don't could fill a library."

Harley's eyes burned. She grabbed a bucket of holy water from Sam and doused it on the demon. There was a sizzling sound and the demon screamed, steam rising from his skin. "What's wrong with me?"

He only glared. Harley spoke over her shoulder. "Cas would you do the honors?" Cas started chanting the exorcism behind her and she carefully watched John's face.

He was twitching, his fists clenched, his glare locked on hers. Sweat beaded his forehead as Cas's chanting grew louder. He growled. "I will rip your lungs from your chest."

Harley leaned forward. "Give me the answer I'm looking for."

The demon began to laugh and lunged forward so their faces were inches apart. "You stupid bitch-"

Harley's eyes widened at the demon's next words and she reacted before she had time to think. The echoing crack of the Colt's gunshot did nothing to help the lingering echo of the demons last words.

_-did you honestly think you could be human?_


	6. What Really Counts

The Colt suddenly felt like it weighed a thousand pounds. Her hand was shaking and she numbly lowered her arm to her side, the gun hanging in her hand. Her breathing was ragged, her eyes burning. "Right." She said shakily, "Right." Her mind was blank, her only thought was she just needed out of this room. She turned on her heel and stalked up the stairs, tucking the gun into the waist bands of her jeans.

She sat heavily on the couch she and Dean had previously evacuated and ran her shaking hands through her hair. Sam, Dean, Cas and Bobby all stood around her. This was it; she had to tell them now. Her eyes burned and her vision was slightly clouded by tears. They'd hate her now. Anyone who ended up finding out about her powers always ended up hating her. She waited until Dean broke the silence.

"So… what the hell?" He had an angry smart-ass look on his face. "What the hell aren't you telling us? That guy pounded your face into a pulp. You're covered in blood from injuries that aren't even there!"

Harley winced when his voice rose to a shout. She sighed, "Well first off… Bobby it wasn't Cas's fault. I accidently planted that rose vine, but I didn't think it would work."

They all stared at her. _"You're _the major mojo guy?" Dean snapped mockingly, "How are you more powerful than an angel?"

Cas stepped forward, "The demon seemed to think you weren't human, are you?"

Harley shrugged, "I thought I was."

Cas nodded, "Can you describe your powers? That might make it significantly easier."

Harley nodded and frowned. "The rose vine was the first thing I ever did on purpose. I've had these… abilities, as long as I can remember. When I was a toddler, I'd get things I couldn't reach to come to me, small stuff like that. I think that's why my mom was so afraid of me. I never used them to hurt anybody, but sometimes… it just kicks in. I can't really control it."

Sam had moved and was sitting in a kitchen chair, listening, and Bobby sat at his desk. Cas stood a few feet away from her while Dean paced next to him, running his hands through this hair vas he spoke, "Okay, but how'd you accidently hurt these people?"

Harley sighed. "Well, my step-dad was wailing on me-"

Dean interrupted. "He… _beat _you?!" his face had gone white.

"Well… yeah," Harley said awkwardly. She was concerned about the lack of color in Dean's face. "He- well… he thought I was an abomination against God and… well, that was his way of showing fear I guess."

Dean's face was turning red. "Why the hell didn't you tell me?"

Harley swallowed, "I dunno," she said awkwardly, "It never came up. You couldn't do anything about it anyway."

"That's not the point!" Dean snapped, "I'm your father, you're supposed to tell me these things!"

Anger flared in Harley's chest. "Well maybe if you'd been a better father I would have!"

Sam stood up abruptly, stepping in-between them and placing a hand on Dean's shoulder, "Whoa, okay that's enough. Both of you calm down we're all stressed out here." He turned to Harley, "So what did you do to the guy?"

Harley licked her chapped lips. "I just punched him back, but I literally sent him flying through the wall. He broke a few bones and spent a few days in the hospital."

Dean wrenched his arm from Sam's grip. "Bastard got what he deserved." He growled. He shrugged, "As far as I'm concerned this isn't the weirdest thing we've done. My daughter has superpowers, awesome."

Harley flushed, slightly touched by Dean's words. She smiled slightly, relieved he didn't hate her, but she quickly sobered, "There's something else."

She took a deep breath, "It's my fault. I- I killed Jem and my step-father."

The four of them exchanged worried a glance. Fear settled in Harley's stomach, they could very easily kill her and no one would find out. She spoke in a rush, "The demon had Jem, he was doing exactly what he did to me outside and- and I panicked." She paused, breathing raggedly. "Whenever… whenever it kicks in I feel this… pressure in my chest. And my head- just starts pounding and I can hear this high pitched ringing… it just builds up until…" she took a deep breath, tears rolled down her cheeks, "The thing had Jem, I was pinned to the wall and I just…" she sighed in frustration, "The room just… exploded. I fell from the wall and the whole room was just blown out the side of the house."

There was a moment of silence as they all contemplated her words. Sam leaned forward, looking at her with saddened eyes, he spoke quietly, "You didn't kill them Harley."

She snorted, hanging her head miserably. "I might as well have- I caused the fucking explosion that killed them." She paused, glancing at Dean before fixing her gaze to the floor. "You heard what the demon said. I'm a freak, not even human. Look… I should just g-"

Dean whirled on her, his voice rising to a shout "Nobody's going anywhere! You haven't killed anybody! I'm tired of this whole, _Winchesters_ Blaming Ourselves crap." He turned to Harley, "Just because you've got some freaky mojo going on doesn't mean we love you any less." The whole room was silent, Harley was watching him with a look of surprise, but Bobby and Sam's faces were full of disbelief. Cas watched him evenly, with an air of curiosity and approval. Dean swallowed nervously and continued, "All of us has had some weird shit happen to them and we've all stuck together and handled it." Dean paused, and looked at anywhere other than Sam and Harley. "I refuse to be my father. From now on, no more fucking secrets. No lying, double-crossing… anything. And none of that bullshit "just trying to protect you" crap. We protect each other, as a family. We deal with whatever happens, period." Dean's face was slightly pink, probably from embarrassment. Everyone watched in silent shock as he snatched a bottle of beer and stalked outside.

The sound of the screen door slamming snapped everybody out of it. Harley blinked and buried her head in her hands while Sam and Bobby exchanged an _Oh fuck _expression while Cas simply looked at the door thoughtfully. Bobby whistled, "Boy must've had a lot on his mind."

"Yeah no kidding." Sam leaned back, "Maybe I should go talk to him."

Harley lifted her head, "I'll go." She was on her feet and walking toward the door before anyone could say anything. The rush of cool air hit her in the face as she pushed the door open, pausing on the porch. It was dusk now, the sky was bright blue, but the clouds ranged from purple, to pink, to a bright orange. The numerous abandoned cars in Bobby's yard cast long shadows on the ground.

Dean was where she expected him to be, leaning against the Impala's trunk. She took a deep breath and shoved her hands in her pockets before walking towards him. She'd expected Dean to ignore her when she approached him, but she was surprised when he did the opposite, and turned to look at her. He smiled wearily at her and scooted over as she settled next to him.

"I'm sorry I'm a shit Dad." He said with a sigh.

Harley felt guilt rise in her stomach. "You're not." She said quietly, "I was just frustrated."

Dean chuckled dryly. "I am though. Hell, I didn't even know you _existed_ until last week." He took a swig of his beer. "I should've protected you, you didn't deserve the childhood you got. But I'll fucking tell you something, if that bastard wasn't already dead I'd kill him myself." He took a deep breath and said in a quieter tone, "I don't know how to be a Dad. My Dad is a fucked up example. I love the guy, I really, _really_ do… but he was… a hard guy to deal with. I just don't know how to do this."

Harley shrugged. "I don't know how to be a daughter either. It's not your fault that you weren't there when I was a kid. My Mom just never told you. It's not your fault Dave hit me either, he slapped everyone around. In all honesty if I had shut my mouth he probably would've backed off a bit but…" she shrugged, "that just wasn't who I was. I assumed, in all honesty, you'd want me out of your way."

Dean shook his head. "No. You're family now kid, whether you like it or not. Family means a lot to us Winchesters. We'll figure out the crazy powers BS later."

Harley was finding it difficult to talk around the lump in her throat. "Thanks Dean." She managed, her voice thick.

He tucked her under his arm. "No problem kiddo." He sighed heavily again and finished off his beer. "I guess it's time we talk to your Mom."


	7. Family Portrait

The house looked just like she remembered, the only difference being that one side of the house was built with newer wood. Harley swallowed as the Impala rolled up the familiar gravel driveway. It had been little over a year since she'd been here; she remembers the house as old and creaky, but active and noisy. She remembers bright gardens and colorful spin-wheels.

Not this silent, unmoving, dreary house. The curtains over the windows were tightly drawn each with a cross resting on its windowsill. The flowers were dead and shriveled, the pin-wheels colors had faded and they twitched in the dry breeze as she, Sam, Dean, and Cas walked up to her front door, statues of saints lining the paths.

She approached the faded wooden door, a simple cross nailed across it. She and Dean had agreed to let Dean do most the talking, Harley wasn't sure she'd be able too. She'd never been able to talk to Jane, and was weary of her mother's reaction to their reunion. She'd been handling Jane her whole life, she'd done more than her fair share of protecting her mother. Harley always treaded on eggshells, protecting her mother's feelings and doing as Jane told her, letting Jane entertain the theory she still had some sort of authority over Harley. They both knew it was a lie. It was different now though.

Jane owed her some answers.

Harley took a deep breath, and pushed the doorbell.

She heard the familiar tone through the door and it was after five minutes before Harley heard someone moving on the other side of the door. It was another minute before Jane spoke, only doing so once it was evident they weren't leaving. "Wh-Who is it? Who's t-there?" Jane's quiet voice drifted through the door. "What do you want?"

Harley looked at Dean and nodded. Dean called through the door, "FBI Miss, we're here to ask you some questions." Harley quietly slipped behind Dean, Cas, and Sam as the door creaked opened a crack. Harley stood shock still behind Sam, her heart hammering as she listened to Dean talk to her Mother who didn't recognize him, "-like to come inside if that's not to much trouble." He was saying.

She heard her Mom stutter, "Well I-I don't know…"

"It will only take a few minutes." Dean pressed.

She heard her mother agree, and the boys stepped inside, Harley slipped in behind Sam and stood in her living room beside Cas who was hovering next to Dean as her mother shut the door behind them and turned around.

Jane's gaze cut directly to her. Whatever color was left in her thin face drained away, she clutched the shawl around her shoulders closer, one hand over her heart backing into the door with a _thunk, _the clacking of her rosary securely in place. Her eyes were wide and watery; her thin hair escaped her usually tight bun and hung in her face, streaked with more gray. _"You." _She whispered, "Get out. Get out of my house! All of you!"

"No," Harley ignored the fact her voice wavered. "Not without answers. I know you're keeping things from me." Harley took a step forward.

Jane moved faster than any of them expected. She whirled behind her, where a large black crucifix hung on the wall, and sized the top. She pulled and the top detached with the scraping of metal. Jane threw the dagger expertly and it streaked across the room, only missing Harley when Dean sized her by the collar of her leather jacket and yanked her sideways. Faster than Jane could blink, Dean and Sam had their pistols fixed on her, and a silver blade shone in Cas's hand. Dean was practically shouting startled profanities, Sam looked worried and Castiel looked impassive.

Jane's eyes narrowed. "Just because you brought people to intimidate me you think I'll tell you anything?" Jane whispered harshly.

Harley stared open mouthed at her mother, rubbing at her neck. "What the fuck? She stared at the dagger sticking out of the wall, "Where the fuck did you _get _that? And why the _hell _do you have a fucking dagger in your _crucifix?!" _

Jane raised her chin and glared at her with anger mixed with fear. "To protect me from things like you. You destroyed this family and left me with nothing."

Harley's eyes burned and she felt the sting of her Mother's words. The cowering woman was gone, replaced by a frightened, yet harder and determined stranger in her place. Harley's words were choked. _"I _destroyed this family? Your husband was the one who was possessed by a demon, not me! I was trying to _protect _this family!"

Jane was staring at her with wide eyes and an open Jaw, "Dave… Dave was… _possessed?"_

Harley spoke around the lump in her throat. "Yes. The demon it… it had Jem. It was killing him and I-I…" she swallowed, "The room exploded. They were both killed." Harley's eyes were wet with unshed tears. "The number one rule you had was take care of James… and I tried. I tried so hard…"

Jane was looking at Harley like she'd never seen her before. "I-I didn't… I didn't know." She said in a quiet voice.

Harley glared at her mother. "You owe me this truth!" she said, her eyes shining. "I've done nothing but try and be the person you want me to be, and I'm still not good enough!" her breathing was hitched. "I always did what you told me! Always!" she drew in a shaky breath, "I looked out for James and the family and I tried my hardest to be a good person. And I still wasn't good enough. So I tried harder. I protected you even though you _hate_ me!" she shouted.

Jane glared at her. "I do not hate you." She said, "I just know a lost cause when I see one." She ignored Harley's injured look and pressed further, "You were the one who left."

Jane's words felt like a slap in the face. Harley was blinking back tears; she opened her mouth to say something when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She jumped and looked up at Dean. He wasn't looking down at her, but was glaring at Jane with a stony expression mixed with disgust. "You don't talk to your fucking daughter like that lady."

Jane glared at him and snorted, "I don't need parenting advice from my daughter's Body Guard." She lifted her chin slightly and glared at Dean.

Dean's grip on Harley's shoulder was tight. _"Yeah?"_ he spat. "Well how 'bout some advice from the other fucking _parent?"_

Jane's jaw fell open in shock and her rosary slipped through her numb fingers and landed on the ground with a thunk. "D-Dean? _Winchester?"_

"The one and only." His grip on Harley's shoulder slackened as Dean stalked towards Jane until they were face to face. "Don't fucking talk to my kid like that!" Dean fumed. "She is _your_ fucking family Jane! It is your _Godamn job_ to look after your kids! And you've screwed up your chance." There was a moment of silence where Jane stared at him with wide watery eyes. Dean took a breath, "And just because she's got some weird mojo shit going on doesn't mean you give up on her! She's family! Misguided or not! It's your job to stick with her and fix things! Because she is _not_ a lost cause, she is misguided because of _you_. You were the one who married a drunken asshole left her to raise her newborn brother and grow up on her own. That's _not_ how you raise kids Jane! You _do not_ just _sit by_ and watch while someone beats your child!" Dean shouted. "That fucks with a kid's head Jane! And trust me, I speak from fucking experience!"

There was a ringing silence after Dean stopped speaking. Jane was staring at him with an unreadable expression, tears running down her face. Several minutes of silence passed while Jane struggled with a response. Finally, she sighed and took a shuddering breath "What did you come here for?"

Dean took a step back. "Got a hold of the demon that took over your husband and killed your son last night." He said conversationally, moving into the kitchen and pulling out a chair, "Don't worry though because your, _lost cause_, of a daughter killed him." Jane flinched and settled in the chair across from him, "But it did say something that you can help us with." Harley sat next to Dean and Sam leaned against the counter and Cas stood in the doorway.

Jane swallowed. "What is it?"

Cas cut across Dean abruptly before he could speak, "This is a religious household correct?"

Jane looked up startled, "Yes, why do you care?" Jane asked, "Who are you anyway?"

Cas studied her. "When we first encountered Harley she mentioned you told her Angels were watching her-"

Dean cut over Cas and turned to Jane, "Of all the things I said to you, you remembered _that?"_

Jane blushed and Cas gave Dean an annoyed look. "Was it true?" Cas pushed.

"What?" Jane frowned, "No, no of course not."

Cas frowned. "I thought you were religious? Why wouldn't you believe it?"

Jane sighed, "Yes." She said bitterly, "I am religious. And look where that's landed me. I was wrong about the Angels. My husband and son are dead." She shook her head, "Angels," she scoffed, "They don't exist."

"They do." Harley whispered. "They do exist."

Jane turned to look at her, "You never believed me when I said that." She said in a hushed tone. Her eyes were shining.

"I was wrong." Harley was finding it difficult to talk around the lump in her throat.

"What makes you say that?" Jane asked. She noticed how Harley's eyes darted to the man in the trench coat before he spoke.

"I am Castiel." The man said, "An Angel of the Lord."

Jane justd looked at him, slowly, her eyes went wide and her jaw dropped. One hand went to her throat and the other reached for the rosary. "Please don't start praying at him," Harley groaned from across the table, "that would be humiliating."

Jane's head swiveled almost comically between Harley and Castiel before she finally swallowed and placed her hands on the table, staring at Castiel in awe as if he were made of gold. "Castiel," she whispered, "The Angel of Thursday." She bowed her head. "It is an honor and a privilege to stand in your holy presence-"

Dean snorted. "Oh yeah. A privilege. Hey your holiness, figured out the mystical cell phone yet?" Dean grinned while Cas glared, "That's pretty fucking funny."

Harley looked at her mother who was watching Dean and Cas with her mouth open. Jane looked like she was struggling to find a coherent thought. "W-what… what does any of this… have to do with Harley?"

Dean leaned forward, "Is there any reason she'd be anything other than… human?"

Harley expected her mother too look at him, disgust all over her features and say no of course not, now get out of my house. What Harley wasn't expecting was for recognition to wash over Jane's features as she looked down at the rosary between her delicate fingers, saying nothing. "Mother?" she pressed, "What do you know? What am I?"

Jane took a deep breath and started to speak, "When I was eighteen years old, I worked at a Frank's Dinner a few streets away. As you know, you never really had grandparents. I'd never known my father and my mother was always drunk and between jobs, she'd disappear for days on end without telling me. I was still living with her in a small one bedroom apartment and living off the money I made being a waitress." Jane paused and licked her dry lips, "this may surprise you to hear Harley but… back then… well I was different. I was angry at the world, angry at my mother, my job, my life… I'd waste money on alcohol and cigarettes. Back then, I didn't believe in God."

Jane had spoken more words in the past three minutes than she had in Harley's whole childhood. Harley pressed her mother to continue, "What changed?"

"I fell asleep." Jane answered simply. "I came home from a midnight shift, my mother was snoring on the couch and I went into the kitchen and went to the fridge. When I turned around, a man was sitting at my kitchen table, waiting for me."

Harley's eyes widened and Dean interrupted, "What did he look like? Did he have black eyes?" but Jane was already shaking her head.

"He told me he was an Angel. He told me that I was asleep, and he was talking to me in a dream. He told me that next week I would be attacked by a werewolf and my life would be saved by a boy. A boy named Dean _Winchester."_

Dean's eyebrows rose and Harley's jaw hung open. Sam was glancing between Dean and Jane, a frown on his face while Cas listened intensely. "The Angel told me everything I needed to know, or so he said. He told me that I would be blessed with a child, a special child. This child would be born with gifts, abilities. This child- my child, was the child destined to decide the fate of the war between Heaven and Hell. He said she had to decide between the holy or the damned. He said it was God's will for the child to be a bridge between worlds, and either save the world and bring peace or bring forth the apocalypse."

"What?!" Harley shrieked. Dean and Sam's jaws practically hit the floor, "Why the fuck didn't you tell me this?"

Dean cut in, "Why the hell didn't you tell me this? You knew all of this was going to happen?!"

Jane shouted over them, "The Angel said that the direction of her life would reflect her choices! That I couldn't influence her!" she stopped shouting and sat back with a sigh. "I didn't believe it. He didn't act like an Angel. The last thing he told me was that it would be a girl, and that Angels would watch over her and then I woke up. I thought it was all a dream; I was at the kitchen table, in the same seat I had been in the dream. My face was on my arms like I had been asleep, but it didn't feel like sleep. But what else could it be? My mother was still on the couch, I still had work in the morning, and there were no such things as werewolves. I went in my room and fell asleep, thinking that there was no way in hell I'd be attacked by a werewolf until…"

"Until you were." Dean said quietly.

Jane nodded. "I was walking to my car when I was tackled by a man with claws and fangs." She looked at Dean, "It knocked me to the ground, trying to scratch at my face and then you came out of nowhere and shot it four times. I remembered you from earlier; you'd been at the dinner with your younger brother. I remembered you were nice to me. People around here hardly were, they knew who my mother was." She paused. "You pulled the thing off of me and helped me up, calmed me down, and told me what was going on before I even asked. I knew you were Dean Winchester before you said it. I just didn't say anything, I still didn't believe it, or rather I was unwilling to." She took another deep breath, "Dean? When you remember the night we met, do you remember it like… you know it happened and you were there, but you feel like you're watching it? Like someone just told you what happened?"

Dean stiffened. "How'd you know that?"

Jane looked at him steadily, "The Angel said it would be like that. He said that he would appear to you, he called you a vessel. He also said that you would forget and to tell you something to make you remember."

Dean and Cas shared a glance. "What is it?" he said uncertainly.

Jane looked at the ground. "Hey Dean-o." pink spread across her face.

There was a beat of silence before Dean pounded his fist against the table. "Son of a bitch!" he yelled.

"Jesus Dean!" Sam yelled, "What the hell?"

"I remember." Dean said bitterly. "Gabriel that fucking bastard! He messed with my mind."

Jane spoke quietly, "The night that we… were together, before I even saw you that day, this horrible, horrible feeling washed over me. I was filled with this rage and anger… but at the same time they weren't my feelings. I couldn't move. I watched my body move without me telling it to, and speak with words I hadn't thought." Jane shuddered. "It was horrible. I didn't know what to do, I didn't want to sound crazy. You never told me demons took over people's bodies, only that they existed."

Dean stared at her, his eyes wide, "You… were possessed?!"

Jane lifted her chin defensively. "So were you! Just by something else, it wasn't even you I fell in love with that week, it was the Angel wearing you." She said bitterly.

Harley had gone white. Dean was staring at her like she'd grown another head. "So-So… she's half-"

"Not half." Jane interrupted, "Third more like, part Angel, part Human…"

Jane's words echoed in Harley's ears and she heard them as if Jane was speaking from the other end of a tunnel.

_"… and part demon." _


	8. Run Away

Harley heard the words come out of her Mother's mouth, she watched as Jane said them, unwilling to meet her daughter's eyes; she saw Sam and Dean react to the words, Dean was yelling, Sam was talking and Cas was pacing. All of this was going on around her… yet there Harley _Winchester_ sat, at her kitchen table, not moving a muscle.

It all made so much sense now. Everything. Every question Harley ever had, every doubt about herself, every wondering thought suddenly had an answer. When she was younger, she didn't understand why she could perform miracles while still being able to hurt and destroy. She did now though. There was something dark inside her. There was a part of Harley that was the same as the things she hunted. She imagined it, sitting in her chest, a dark smoke curled around her heart.

The loud scrapping of a chair against tile dragged her from her thoughts. Sam, Dean, Jane and Cas were staring at her worriedly. Harley realized it was her who pushed back the chair, though she didn't remember standing; when she raised a hand to her cheek it came away damp. Harley stared around at the worried faces of her family and she suddenly had the overwhelming feeling that the four walls were suffocating her; that if she stayed in this room _one more second _she was going to scream. "Excuse me," she muttered numbly, shoving past Dean and Cas and bursting out the back door.

In the open air, Harley took a deep breath, and another. She couldn't stop taking breaths, she was still suffocating, she must be. That's why her chest felt tight and her head was spinning, she didn't feel attached to her legs. She sat down heavily on the porch steps, her breathing shallow and ragged, tears dripping down her face. She almost expected Padfoot to slink over and put his head in her lap, but with a pang she realized he wasn't there and there was no way of knowing what had happened to him.

Harley sat there numbly, her mind seemed to just shut itself off, unwilling to think about what she'd just heard and what it meant. She knew what it meant anyways. She was a monster. A hybrid. A freak. An abomination.

Dazedly, she raised her head, her brain clicking back on. Harley was a monster, she wasn't a hunter anymore, she was the hunted. Harley stood up, her pulse quickening. She'd have to run, Sam and Dean would realize her for what she was, a monster; Cas would recognize her as something worse, an abomination against God.

Harley's jaw clenched, her face tight as she realized what she had to do. It would be hard, she didn't even have her bike this time; it was sitting in Bobby's driveway, but she knew this place better than anyone, she had a crumpled twenty in her pocket and a couple Tens, she'd be okay for a few days. Taking a deep breath, for the second time she ran, leaving her childhood house behind her.

Dean stared at Jane like she'd grown another head, the word _demon_ bouncing around in his skull. "And you never fucking bothered to mention this?! To me?! _To her?!" _he jabbed a finger at Harley who was sitting numbly in her seat, staring at Jane with a glazed look on her face.

Jane glared at Dean, "If I told anyone my child was supposed to bring forth the _apocalypse _I would be in a padded cell before you could snap your fingers. You didn't leave any contact information, who do you think I should've told?"

"Her!" Dean bellowed, "You should've told her from the start! She spent her whole childhood thinking something was wrong with her."

"Something was!" Jane screamed.

Dean's face went white and he made to step towards her, but Sam stepped in front of him, placing his hands on Dean's shoulders. "Dean man, you gotta calm down."

Dean stared at Sam in incredulity, "Calm down my ass! You think I'm just going to stand there while she-"

Harley suddenly stood, her chair scraping across the ground. They all froze and stared at her; she was gazing at them dazedly, with tears on her face, but when she put a hand to her face to find it damp, she gazed at it in numb surprise. She looked up from her hand and stared around at the four of them again, looking like she'd just woken up, "Excuse me," she muttered in apparent confusion, pushing past Cas and Dean and slamming the back door behind her.

Dean made to go after her but found himself restrained, once again, by Sam. "I think she needs a moment," he muttered quietly.

Dean was impassive for a moment, staring at Sam's face before he nodded stiffly. pulling his arm free from Sam, he paced; his knuckles clenching into tight fists. _Fucking demons_. They ruined his whole life, and now they were ruining his daughter's; before she was even born Dean had already, unknowingly, dragged her into this life.

Dean had never felt worse in his life. He'd condemned his daughter to a life of hunting, before she even knew what it was. The one thing he'd always wished he could have, and he fucked it up even worse than his own father had. Part Demon, part Angel. Dean didn't trust either of them. Like it wasn't bad enough being human, now Harley was going to learn how to deal with both their powers, each one of their faults.

"Okay," he said, barley containing his rage, "What the fuck do we do?"

"We help her." Sam said immediately, "We dealt with my whole demon blood thing, we can deal with her."

Cas nodded and said, "We need to find out who's after her and prevent them from taking her."

Dean nodded and rubbed his face, secretly grateful for their help. He dropped his hand and sighed, "I need to talk to her." He pushed passed Sam and walked out the back door onto an empty porch, and he knew.

Harley was gone.


	9. The Hitchhiker and The Yellow Bus

The sun beat against the black asphalt, heat waves rising from the burning ground in the dry stale Arizona air. There was nothing around for miles other than, dirt, sand, rocks, lizards and land. Ten feet from the road grew a clump of miserable twigs barely alive; the bush had been so battered by the dry wind that it was slumped sideways, it's parched roots lodged deep in the dry ground was the only thing keeping it from falling over and blowing away. The roots strained, searching for water that wasn't there.

A lizard darted out of the miserly shade the bush provided and out into the scorching sun, leaving tracks in the sand, and only coming to a stop when it had reached the asphalt, warming its cold body in the Arizona heat. It pressed its little brown body to the black pavement, thousands of other lizards doing the same thing along the highway. Warmth had just started seeping into the little lizard's body when a bright yellow school bus came thundering down the road. The little lizard scampered out of its way as the big black tires went rolling past; many of its brethren weren't so lucky.

The driver of the bus was singing; drumming his fingers on the wheel and crumbling up yet another candy wrapper and tossing it behind him, where it blew to the back of the bus joining another twelve assorted wrappers and soda cans. Most of the bus's windows were rolled down, allowing cool air to blow through the bus, and most of its seats were stripped, two of them severing as a head and footboard for a bed that had been put in. it was a school bus no longer, the inside stripped and remolded to resemble a makeshift house; not only equipped with the necessaries, but all sorts of odd possessions. A rubber chicken hung on fishing wire from the roof, Christmas lights lined the walls, beads that hung in front of the door, un-matching curtains for the windows (currently pulled back) and posters of bikini models tapped to the metal walls, the edges flapping in the wind.

It practically was a highway to hell out here; in the driver's opinion. The road was deserted, not a car in sight for miles, so the driver almost missed the hazy figure, barely visible through the waves of heat rising from the pavement.

He squinted in amazement at the figure that was coming into focus as the bus neared; it was over a hundred degrees outside and the figure was dressed in all black, slowly trudging down the highway, a bag on their back and another hanging from the figure's right arm. The figure turned when they heard the bus approach and the driver was shocked to find it was a young woman. The driver slowed, then came to a stop in front of her; N_ot a young woman,_ the driver realized, _a kid_.

She eyed the bus doors wearily as they opened with a hiss of air and the clacking of beads. The driver took a bite of his _MarsBar_ and turned down the radio, squinting at the hitchhiker. He sighed, looking her up and down he said, "Lady you want a ride?"

She couldn't have been more than sixteen. She looked exhausted, her face was red and she was dripping in sweat, rivulets ran down her face and trickled down her neck one of the bags she was carrying hung off her shoulder and the other held in her other hand, dragging her left arm down so her posture was lopsided. Her hair was short; but she'd scraped what she could back into a ponytail and strands of it had escaped and clung to her face or neck, plastered to her skin. She had her shirt rolled up to the elbows, but she was wearing black denim jeans and had thick heavy combat boots strapped to her feet.

She eyed him suspiciously the same way he was looking at her, taking in his appearance and judging his every move. "I don't know." She said finally. "How do I know you're not some freak." She smirked.

The driver rolled his eyes. "Lady, you're walking around in a _hundred degree_ heat with _two bags_ dressed in _all black_ with _no _water. You can sit in the back if it makes you feel better, but you need to get out of this heat lady. I promise I'm not gonna hurt you."

She smirked again. "Like to see you try." She nodded, "Okay. Far as you can take me please."

He nodded and smiled nicely at her. "Welcome aboard."

Harley stepped on to the bus and out of the blazing heat. She gave the driver a wide berth, but she wasn't too weary of him. She'd hitchhiked before, and besides he didn't even look very threatening. He was short, with brownish-blondish hair, welcoming smile, humorous demeanor, and lopsided smile.

She sat down on the edge of the bed in the back of the bus and dropped her bags by her feet as the driver peeled off from the side of the road and continued down the highway. The highway breeze felt nice over her skin and she allowed herself to relax. It was a friggin' bus anyway; she had plenty of space between her and the driver. His hazel eyes meet hers in the mirror and he said, "There are water bottles in the fridge if you want one. Wouldn't mind one myself if you don't mind passing one up."

She nodded, "Thanks." She reached her hand in, past bottles and cans of soda pop, beer, candy, and the remains of a pizza to a line of water bottles in the back, her arm wrapped in coolness up to the elbow. He grabbed one and gulped it down, throwing her head back and letting it run out of the corners of her mouth. She cast aside the empty bottle with a crunch of plastic and grabbed another, finishing it faster than the first.

She faced her back to the driver and unscrewed the lid of a third, pretending to get something out of her bag while dipping in her rosary and muttering under her breath; _``Exorcizo te, creatura aquæ, in nomine Dei Patris omnipotentis, et in nomine Jesu Christi, Filii ejus Domini nostri, et in virtute Spiritus Sancti: ut fias aqua exorcizata ad effugandam omnem potestatem inimici, et ipsum inimicum eradicare et explantare valeas cum angelis suis apostaticis, per virtutem ejusdem Domini nostri Jesu Christ: qui venturus est judicare vivos et mortuos et sæculum per ignem."_

Harley glanced up, if the driver noticed anything out of the ordinary he didn't show it. She continued quickly; _Deus, qui ad salutem humani generis maxima quæque sacramenta in aquarum substantia condidisti: adesto propitius invocationibus nostris, et elemento huic, multimodis purificationibus præparato, virtutem tuæ benedictionis infunde; ut creatura tua, mysteriis tuis serviens, ad abigendos dæmones morbosque pellendos divinæ gratiæ sumat effectum; ut quidquid in domibus vel in locis fidelium hæc unda resperserit careat omni immunditia, liberetur a noxa. Non illic resideat spiritus pestilens, non aura corrumpens: discedant omnes insidiæ latentis inimici; et si quid est quod aut incolumitati habitantium invidet aut quieti, aspersione hujus aquæ effugiat: ut salubritas, per invocationem sancti tui nominis expetita, ab omnibus sit impugnationibus defensa." _Harley finished under her breath, _"Per Dominum, amen.´´ _

She straightened, screwing the top back on and walked down the isle, "Thanks man," she said, extending the bottle, "already cracked it for you."

He grinned at her. "Thanks." He unscrewed the cap and took a drink, while Harley gauged his reaction. "How you feeling? Did the heat get to you? How'z your head feeling kiddo?"

She smiled lightly, sitting in a bus seat that had been ripped out the put back in, bolted to the wall. "I'm alright," she unscrewed a forth bottle and took a drink. "Just tired."

He snorted. "I'll bet. You got a name?"

She nodded. "Rose. You?"

He smirked. "Call me Gabe."

"Thanks for the lift Gabe." She smiled. What direction you headed?"

Gabe laughed. "Any direction I want. I'm free as a bird baby, and I've got nowhere to be."

She laughed, "That sounds pretty great. Would you mind going in a direction towards Wyoming?"

He nodded, "Sure. What's in Wyoming?"

She hesitated, looking at her feet before speaking, "Well my family back home in California… well things got complicated with them and I was supposed to go live in Wyoming with my Aunt Ellen, but they wouldn't take me themselves. So I got a ride from my boyfriend but we got into a fight and he left me outside of Denny's when I went to the bathroom. Left my bags in the parking spot."

Gabe's eyebrows rose so high they disappeared into his hair and he let out a low whistle, _"Wooooooooooow. _What a _dick."_

Harley chuckled. "Totally. I'm stranded."

Gabe shook his head. "Damn. You're lucky I found you."

She grinned, "Yeah, you seem pretty okay."

Gabe snorted. "You're embarrassing me, really." He fanned the side of his face.

Harley laughed. "So why the bus?"

Gabe sighed and shook his head, "Well, things got sticky with my family too. A loooooooooong time ago. But I got sick of it, my family was tearing itself apart. My Dad left, and my siblings just _would not stop _arguing!" Gabe shrugged, "So I left. Ran away. And after that I kept, running to different places. So I thought, _why the hell not? _I'll get a bus."

"A bus is a good idea actually." Harley mused, "I am sorry about your family though. I get it, that happens a lot in mine."

"Well they caught up to me eventually. Dragged me back into the whole mess, I nearly lost everything because of it too."

Harley shook her head, "That's horrible. I'm sorry."

Gabe only shrugged, "Whatever. It is what it is." He pulled out a candy bar, "Want one?"

She eyed it, hesitating "Sorry, mummy told me not to accept candy from strangers."

He shrugged and laughed. "Fair enough," he took a bite. "It's a really good friggin' candy bar though."

She laughed and they were silent a moment, Gabe eating his candy bar and Harley drinking her water. Gabe broke the silence, "So Rose, do you want to report your boyfriend to the authorities? Someone must be worried sick about you."

Harley shook her head, "I'd rather not get the authorities involved, I don't really care to be honest. He was a dick and I'm fine without him. No one's worried about me."

Gabe rolled his eyes, "Oooooooooookay. Whatever you say lady. I'm sure someone out there is worried sick about you kiddo."

Harley shrugged, "I don't think so."

Gabe frowned. "Why not?"

"Because," Harley hesitated, "some… _things _came up and my family heard about it, and they probably hate me now. I know they'd forgive me for almost anything else but… I can't change this." Harley's shoulders slumped and Gabe saw the sadness that was evident in her face.

Gabe sighed and spoke softly, "You know, I'll be the first to tell you about fucked up families but… I know I could go back and they'd welcome me back. Maybe not with open arms, and maybe not all of them, but they would. Because they're my family, my siblings. I think that you'd be surprised at what people are willing to let go."

Harley cocked an eyebrow. "If you're so sure why don't you go back?"

Gabe grimaced. "Because I'm too afraid to stand up to them. I _could _I just don't want to. I like the freedom, the absence of fighting. I'll have to go back soon, I know that. But I'm biding my time and waiting until they really need me."

Harley nodded and sighed. "I should've talked to them. I didn't even give them a chance really but… I was just afraid. And confused, so… I ran."

Gabe nodded, "You know, if you ask me," he said not un-kindly, "I think you should go back and give them a chance."

She shook her head. "I can't. Other people… relatives… want me to do certain things and be a certain way and people are trying to make me pick a side… and I just want _out _of it."

"Yeah well," Gabe said, "there are just some things you gotta do."

Harley scoffed, "I want to make my own choices."

Gabe shrugged, "Maybe it's your destiny." Harley's eyes hardened and she stiffened. Gabe saw her posture and seemed unconcerned, "I believe in fate. I believe in destiny. I believe we all have our roll to play, even if it means facing the people you love and sacrificing for them, but I also believe that for every sacrifice there's a reward, sometimes you just gotta make it for yourself."

Harley relaxed slightly. What Gabe was saying was starting to get to her. Standing on that porch, she'd just been too afraid of Dean's disgust. Or Sam. Or Cas, or Bobby. She'd finally… _finally_ gotten family back. Even if she'd lost James; Dean, Sam, Cas, and Bobby had all accepted her, helped her. She hoped they loved her as much as she had grown to love them. They were her broken little family, but they were all Harley had left.

But all Harley said was, "Yeah maybe you're right."

Gabe continued to drive and Harley lounged on the seat. Comfortable silences rested between conversations, but Harley decided that Gabe was a cool dude and didn't mind the silences. After a few hours, when darkness fell, Gabe pulled in front of a hotel and pulled out a few bills, "I'll sleep in the bus. Here's some cash for a room, you seriously need a shower."

Harley chuckled. "Yeah I know." She excepted the cash gratefully, "Thanks Gabe." She stood and grabbed her bags. Harley adjusted the straps on her bag and grinned up at him from the ground. "Thanks again Gabe, seriously."

He extended a hand, "Anytime Kiddo." Harley reached out and grasped it and they shook. He released her hand, smiled and said, "Good to met ya' Harley _Winchester."_

_Harley's smile vanished and suddenly she was blasted backward, her feet left the pavement and she flew through the air, hitting the ground so hard_ she slid into the wall, her head cracking against the sold surface.

Harley gasped and pressed a hand to her head, "Son of a… _bitch."_ She snarled, throwing off her bags, pulling a blade from her jacket.

She sat up, ready to kick Gabe's grin off his face when her eyes went wide and she froze. The floor she was on was not hotel cement, and the hard surface against her back was not the wall of a hotel. The blade fell from her numb hand and landed with a clatter at her feet. Her jaw dropped and she spoke out loud. "What… the… _fuck?"_

"We were actually kinda hoping you could explain that to us." Dean's voice cut through the room and Harley blinked up at his angry expression from the floor. She was in Bobby's living room, surrounded by Sam, Dean, Cas, and Bobby who looked just as surprised to see her as she was to see them.

Gabe and his yellow bus were gone, and Harley was home.

**Author's Note:**

**As of, 11-18-12 I've updated most the chapters. Thanks for reading! Reviews are love!**

**-Black Rain**


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